Questions tagged [quotes]
The words a character speaks. Use this tag for questions about how to write quotes, or common practices specific to quotes.
121
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Quoting a quote of a person who was interrupted in a scholarly book
ROBERT Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you a story. It
begins with a garden, a cherished place of solace for my family...
ROBERT ...and that's when I discovered the irreparable damage.
...
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Is it a copyright violation to quote another book in my book?
I am writing a novel from the perspective of a character who is very obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fight Club.” This is essential to the character and can’t be changed, but I can (and will, ...
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How to break dialog with narrative in a single sentence?
What is the most appealing way to insert a bit of narrative within dialog in a single sentence? For example:
“The unified realm of my childhood,” Lucy hoped to avoid discussing the reasons for its ...
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2
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How do you transcribe a quote with errors?
How do you quote someone whose native language is not English? Let's assume that the person make several grammatical mistakes, how should you quote them, do you quote them verbatim or do you quote ...
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Devising system for noting secondary sources in block quotation. New edition of previously published work
Working with a text that makes extensive use of a secondary source that will be given in block quotation and, of course, cited. The secondary source, however, contained many original source citations ...
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When quoting issuing commands to multiple individuals, should each new person be a new paragraph?
If a person is giving instructions to separate individuals and it's all spoken in quotes, should the spoken words for each new person start a new paragraph or if the commands are connected to a single ...
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2
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70
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Is it good practice to use himself/herself when tagging quoted text
In many ways, this question follows on from one I had asked here just two days ago. When writing internal monologues I often end up using the '...self' tag. For instance
"--- ... ---," she ...
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How to present an inner monologue interspersed with passive thoughts
Is there a commonly accepted - or expected - way for handling a passage where a broken innner monologue is interspersed with thoughts that do not quite qualify as an 'inner conversation'? For example
...
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2
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202
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How to/when to tag quoted text in a dialogue
Is it acceptable to leave out non-conversational tags when writing a dialogue between two people. To take an example
"I waited for you for a whole hour!" said Joan, as she entered the
room.
...
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1
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2
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189
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Quoting someone who used a racial slur?
When quoting someone who used a racial slur, should you censor the racial slur, and how should you do so?
I said that he's a *****. That's what I said.
When quoting someone who used a racial slur, ...
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May one change punctuation in a quotation to match their own style guide? (MLA)
I'm writing (and peer reviewing) rhetorical analyses written in MLA style and have come across punctuation in quotations not matching the MLA style guidelines, as the original author was writing in a ...
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376
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Can I quote lines from a tv show in my book? [closed]
I am writing a memoir and I want to know if I can quote some lines from some of my favorite TV shows from the 50's and 60's in my upcoming book.
For example:
Superman: "look up in the sky! It's ...
14
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3
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4k
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What is the meaning of square brackets in quotes?
"[t]he company engaged..."
I read a quote earlier starting with these words, and I am unsure of the meaning of the square brackets encapsulating the "t".
A cursory search online ...
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5
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Format when repeating one word from another character's dialogue
I'm trying to find the formatting convention for quoting another character's dialogue when repeating just one word.
An example would be:
'You were the only person I could think of,' said Mike. 'The ...
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1
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93
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Copyright if I continue someone else's work
I am writing a book - continuing someone's book series. They were finished but I'd really like to see the other characters' lives. I need to quote (I wouldn't say really quote but let's call that ...
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121
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Permission for a quote?
Someone (not a particularly famous person,) said something during a podcast that I found would make a good quote, used in my upcoming book.
Do I need to get permission from the speaker or the podcast ...
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1
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How to quote a list (for a scientific thesis)?
I would like to quote a list verbatim.
Let's say this is the list, and it's originally from a book:
Mathematics is essential in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, finance, ...
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2
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Are "floating quotations" to be avoided in academic writing?
I am finishing my dissertation, and my advisor was highly critical of my use of "floating quotations" or "stand-alone quotations." She directed me to a University of North Carolina ...
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What type of rhetorical figure is this?
What type of figure of speech/rhetorical figure are the following:
“You are dearer to me than myself, as you yourself can see.” (Bob Dylan)
“Them I will forget, but you I’ll remember always.” (Bob ...
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524
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How to punctuate quotes in paragraphs and multiple quotes used in succession
How would you punctuate quotes for multiple people talking simultaneously in the same paragraph? I.e.,
They lined up and waited for the last bell of the day and cheered with their tiny voices, "...
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94
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How to punctuate a list of quoted questions
I'm editing a work with the following passage, which describes seven signs:
. . . signs. Each had both picture and words. The pictures were an X on a rock, a cave mouth, a castle, a big tent, a tall ...
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According to CMOS, can I change plural words in a quotation to singular, and vice versa?
Consider, for example, that the following sentence is from an external source and that I desire to quote it in my own work (please pay attention to the structure of the sentence, not its ambiguous or ...
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The author allows me to use their (excellent) idea, but I need to paraphrase it. I can't find a good paraphrase. What should I do?
I meet an excellent idea and really want to use it. The author allows me to do that, but I can't just copy the whole text. The problem is, I do want to use my own language, but in each sentence they ...
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What can be the guideline for modifying quote?
God does not play roulette
— Albert Einstein
There are cases that I feel like a change in the original quote would make it more rhythm, poetic, or reflect the spirit of the quote better. How should I ...
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91
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Is it appropriate for one to use already existing content?
Will it be considered copyright infringement if one would use already existing content, for example, a song? Can you be sued for copyright infringement if you use this, even if you give the original ...
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0
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Who had 3 rules for submissions: 1. You must have a point. 2. You must make your point. 3. You must make it in pristine, first-rate english? [closed]
I think it was a famous magazine editor. I must be butchering the quote because Google search is absolutely no help on this one. In particular, I really don't remember how the third rule was exactly ...
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Citing quotes/footnotes
In my memoir, I use several quotations. In the text, I note who said them: e.g.
As author and diplomat Washington Irving, having mourned a fiancée and a brother, wrote: 'There is a sacredness in ...
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0
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121
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Punctuation of a quote inside parentheses
I was wondering how to properly format a quote inside parentheses in MLA.
So far I have mostly used the third option, although the double parentheses seem a bit ugly.
example:
1) He directs his ...
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4
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How do I avoid using punctuation inside quotation marks in technical writing?
As a computer programmer, I comment my code. For example:
The following lines are dependent on "source 1" and "source 2".
"Source 2" is a user login and password. Overall, the purpose is to
...
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3
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Writing mumbled speech
I've got a character that mumbles, and I'd like good advice on how to write his dialogue. He isn't a POV character, and I won't give him too much dialogue that would make the reading tedious, but it's ...
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How do you quote a quote? [duplicate]
There's this sentence from Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing that I want to use as a title of my project, and I'm not sure if I ...
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How do you properly quote a quote as a title? [duplicate]
There's this sentence from Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing that I want to use as a header/title of my project, and I need ...
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2
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Is this the correct way to use quotes and commas when there are two quotes within one quote?
“He said, ‘spend a week more on the west wall and do your job diligently,’ and that at the end of the week, 'he would see,'” Yarpres said.
I did research https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/...
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2
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233
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How do you transcribe a person's tone (i.e. someone whose speech is rude and/or attacking)?
I've been having great difficulty with transcribing an individuals "tone" in my meeting notes!!
For context: Recently I've been charged with transcribing an incredibly tense litigious meeting. My ...
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2
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Quoting italicized text: keep formatting?
I'm quoting a sentence from Carl von Clausewitz' On War. He has part of the sentence italicized though:
Obstinacy is a fault of temperament.
Is it necessary to maintain his formatting? Ideally, I ...
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1
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Citing sources "Adversity introduces a man to himself"
This famous quote from Albert Einstein, after research, doesn't have any origins (No year, no location/event, etc.). How would you go about citing it in APA format?
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Can I put 2 quotes in one sentence in my essay?
In my essay I want to use 2 quotes that are both on the same page but are 4 lines apart. I didn't think I should use ellipsis b/c the passages I want to quote are quite far apart.
What I want to ...
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2
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Is it better to go verb-then-name or name-then-verb when writing sentences with quotes?
Which of these is correct? The first? The second? Both?
verb then name:
"She's late again," said Jason.
name then verb:
"She's late again," Jason said.
I have almost always used the first ...
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Is it poor form to paraphrase well known authors in dialogue?
Sometimes a situation will suit a well known author's quote and I do like expressions. Someone joked that I had no shame in paraphrasing. Is this poor form and if so why?
Oliver
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Using quote as title - disadvantages
There are multiple examples of works of fiction using for their title a quote from another famous work: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and more.
The ...
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4
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How can I Include a verbatim passage in my fiction without plagiarizing it?
In my novel, the MC goes to a resort and at the resort, they offer two types of Buddhist meditations. Those meditations are from another book and I cannot fiddle with the meditation steps without ...
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How should I quote American English speakers in a British English essay?
I am working on a formal essay where I have to quote a few American English speakers, but my essay is written in British English. Should I change terms like color to colour?
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Starting from future smoothing your way to present
Ok, so the hook for my novel is a quote from the future that my protagonist will eventually say. But I need a way for my novel to go back to present tense. In what way can I smooth my novel back to ...
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How do you quote a comic book? [closed]
How do you quote a comic book strip? I have to state 75 words and I'm not sure if I should re-write the quote as a novel or not.
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Quoting Yourself
I am editing a book for a writer who has quotes at the beginning of each chapter. The first chapter has a quote of her own. It's weird, but it's what she wants. Do I just treat it like the other ...
Elizabeth Duncan
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MLA citation within citation
Author 1 has written:
Author 2 locates the motivation for remakes 'well beyond the profit
principle', in complex, highly personal reasons, based on various
'Oedipal inflections'.
The sections ...
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In a professional email you need to quote something from a business document. How do you write this?
This is in a professional email.
I'm quoting from a business document that was sent to the person that I'm writing the email to. I need to clarify something, and to do so I need to quote from a ...
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What are the rules for beginning a block quotation halfway into a quoted sentence?
I'm interested in the rules set by the Chicago Manual of Style.
If I take a block quotation that starts with the following sentence:
"To simplify: math and geometry are such and such"
And if I ...
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When does a phrase change from "quote" to "expression coined by"?
"The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry" comes from Robert Burns's To a Mouse. It is a commonly used expression, though the "mice and men" part is often omitted nowadays. In fact, not every ...
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MLA: Indirect Citation without quote
I have a text which I would like to quote. However, the particular section of the text in which I am interested cites but does not directly quote another author. Do I need an indirect citation, and ...
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