punctuating quotes in an essay

Writing Studio

Quotation basics: grammar, punctuation, and style, some general quotation guidelines.

In an effort to make our handouts more accessible, we have begun converting our PDF handouts to web pages. Download this page as a PDF: Quotation Grammar, Punctuation, and Style Return to Writing Studio Handouts

When writing a formal essay, you will often need to use quotes from a text or texts as evidence to prove your point or to make an argument. Below are grammar and punctuation guidelines to help you integrate those quotes into your essay successfully.

We recommend consulting a style manual or your instructor for specific queries.

Periods and Commas

• You do not need to use any punctuation before a quotation if it forms part of your own sentence.

Example: Dennis cries that he is “being repressed!”

• Use a comma when introducing a quote with a phrase such as ‘he said.’

Example: The old man protests, “I don’t want to go on the cart.”

• Place parenthetical citations outside the end quotation mark, but before the punctuation.

Example: King Arthur declares, “Let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place” (13).

Colons and Ellipses

• Use a colon when introducing a quotation with a full independent clause (one that can stand on its own).

Example: Emily feels frustrated by his response: “Is there someone else that we can talk to?”

• Use an ellipsis (three periods, sometimes with spaces between: ‘…’ ) to indicate an omission in a quotation (Exception: it is not necessary to use an ellipsis when omitting words at the beginning of a quote unless you are using a block quote format).

Example: “The kind of intelligence a genius has … leaps with ellipses.”

• When you want to omit one or more full sentences, use a period and a space before the three ellipsis dots.

Example: “Hatred paralyzes life. … Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

Slashes and Brackets

• When you are quoting poetry, use a slash ( / ) to mark a line break.

Example: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments” (1-2).

• Use square brackets to add a word, change a pronoun, or change a verb tense in the quote.

Original quote: “It’s my duty as a knight to sample all the peril I can.”

In your essay: Sir Galahad thinks “it’s [his] duty as a knight to sample all the peril [he] can.”

Question Marks and Exclamation Points

• With a question mark or exclamation point, there is no need to use a comma or a period.

Example: The interested observer wonders, “Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?”

• If the mark is part of your sentence and not part of the quote, it goes outside the last quotation mark.

Example: I don’t think we can ever understand the “ineluctable modality of the visual”!

Block Quotes

• MLA style calls for use of a block quote (indent 10 spaces, or 2 tabs) when citing five or more lines of typed prose or four or more lines of verse. APA style calls for block quotes when citing forty words or more.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate. / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. (1-4)

Quote Within a Quote

• When using a quote within a quote, single quotation marks are used for the inner quote.

Example: Josh laments, “Every time I try to talk to someone it’s ‘sorry this’ and ‘forgive me that.’”

Last revised: 08/2008 | Adapted for web delivery: 05/2021

In order to access certain content on this page, you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader or an equivalent PDF viewer software.

Punctuation of Quotations

Shorthand: “pq”.

In all academic writing, Quotations must have appropriate punctuation. In order to determine how to punctuate the phrase that comes before a quotation, you need to know whether the phase is an independent clause.  Here, you have three options:

1. When the quotation is merged into a clause, no punctuation is necessary to divide them.

Roosevelt spoke of December 7, 1941, as “a day that will live in infamy.”

2. If the quotation is preceded by a form of a word like say, reply, or answer, that word is followed by a comma.

She knows she is no longer safe, saying, “I feared for my Safety in this wicked House” (28).

3. If a complete sentence or independent clause precedes the quotation, a colon is the appropriate mark of punctuation.

She knows she is no longer safe: “I feared for my Safety in this wicked House” (28). Also make sure that you place quotation marks correctly with respect to other punctuation marks and with citations.

1.  The final period or comma goes inside the quotation marks, even if it is not a part of the quoted material, unless the quotation is followed by a citation.  If a citation in parentheses follows the quotation, the period follows the citation.  If a superscript footnote number is used, it follows the period and the quotation marks.  

a) The Portland vase is “blue porcelain,” according to Compson (435).

Comma is within the quotation marks; the period follows the citation.

b) Macbeth says, “Life's but a walking shadow” (5.5.24).

Citation follows the quotation marks; period follows the citation. Note: The MLA Handbook recommends the use of Arabic numerals rather than Roman numerals for designating acts and scenes in plays. However, some instructors still prefer Roman numerals. Check with your instructor if you are uncertain which to use.

c) As E. H. Carr has written, “The serious historian is the one who recognizes the historically conditioned character of all values, not the one who claims for his own values an objectivity beyond history.” 1

2. A colon or semicolon is placed outside the quotation marks (regardless of whether or not it exists in the quoted material).

a) Correct:

Roberts (137) mentions “the divine right of kings”; the phrase did not become current in English until the late seventeenth century.

b) Incorrect:

Mr. B says that Pamela “may be thawed by kindness;” (180).

Even though the semicolon is present in the sentence quoted, it should not be in the quotation.

Correct: Mr. B says that Pamela “may be thawed by kindness” (180).

3. A question mark, exclamation point, or dash is placed within the quotation marks when it is part of the quoted material. Otherwise it is placed outside the quotation marks.

a) “How do I love thee?” asks the sonnet. “Let me count the ways.”

The first quotation is a question; the question mark is part of it.

b) What is the meaning of the expression “eschew obfuscation”?

The quotation is not a question; the question mark goes outside the quotation to indicate that the whole sentence is the question.

c) There is great pathos in King Lear’s cry, “O reason not the need!” (2.4.259).

An exclamation point within the quotation is followed by quotation marks, then by a parenthetical citation. The period after the citation ends the sentence.

4. Do not place any mark of punctuation inside the quotation marks at the beginning of a quoted phrase, and do not use an ellipsis(...) at the beginning of the quotation.

a) Incorrect:

King Lear refers to his daughter Goneril as a “detested kite” and as “...wolvish” (1.4.253, 259).

b) Correct:

King Lear refers to his daughter Goneril as a “detested kite” and as “wolvish” (1.4.253, 259).

For more information on quotations, refer to Using Sources  and Quotations .

Find Your Voice

What good is having a great idea if you can’t communicate it effectively? We’ll teach you how to express yourself through writing and speaking, of course, but also through digital communications and artistic expression — all of which will help you stand out no matter what path you choose after graduation.

Office / Department Name

Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center

Contact Name

Jennifer Ambrose

Writing Center Director

Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration.

Site Search

What this handout is about

Used effectively, quotations can provide important pieces of evidence and lend fresh voices and perspectives to your narrative. Used ineffectively, however, quotations can clutter your text and interrupt the flow of your argument. This handout will help you decide when and how to quote like a pro.

When should I quote?

Use quotations at strategically selected moments. You have probably been told by teachers to provide as much evidence as possible in support of your thesis. But packing your paper with quotations will not necessarily strengthen your argument. The majority of your paper should still be your original ideas in your own words (after all, it’s your paper). And quotations are only one type of evidence: well-balanced papers may also make use of paraphrases, data, and statistics. The types of evidence you use will depend in part on the conventions of the discipline or audience for which you are writing. For example, papers analyzing literature may rely heavily on direct quotations of the text, while papers in the social sciences may have more paraphrasing, data, and statistics than quotations.

Discussing specific arguments or ideas

Sometimes, in order to have a clear, accurate discussion of the ideas of others, you need to quote those ideas word for word. Suppose you want to challenge the following statement made by John Doe, a well-known historian:

“At the beginning of World War Two, almost all Americans assumed the war would end quickly.”

If it is especially important that you formulate a counterargument to this claim, then you might wish to quote the part of the statement that you find questionable and establish a dialogue between yourself and John Doe:

Historian John Doe has argued that in 1941 “almost all Americans assumed the war would end quickly” (Doe 223). Yet during the first six months of U.S. involvement, the wives and mothers of soldiers often noted in their diaries their fear that the war would drag on for years.

Giving added emphasis to a particularly authoritative source on your topic.

There will be times when you want to highlight the words of a particularly important and authoritative source on your topic. For example, suppose you were writing an essay about the differences between the lives of male and female slaves in the U.S. South. One of your most provocative sources is a narrative written by a former slave, Harriet Jacobs. It would then be appropriate to quote some of Jacobs’s words:

Harriet Jacobs, a former slave from North Carolina, published an autobiographical slave narrative in 1861. She exposed the hardships of both male and female slaves but ultimately concluded that “slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.”

In this particular example, Jacobs is providing a crucial first-hand perspective on slavery. Thus, her words deserve more exposure than a paraphrase could provide.

Jacobs is quoted in Harriet A. Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, ed. Jean Fagan Yellin (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1987).

Analyzing how others use language.

This scenario is probably most common in literature and linguistics courses, but you might also find yourself writing about the use of language in history and social science classes. If the use of language is your primary topic, then you will obviously need to quote users of that language.

Examples of topics that might require the frequent use of quotations include:

Southern colloquial expressions in William Faulkner’s Light in August

Ms. and the creation of a language of female empowerment

A comparison of three British poets and their use of rhyme

Spicing up your prose.

In order to lend variety to your prose, you may wish to quote a source with particularly vivid language. All quotations, however, must closely relate to your topic and arguments. Do not insert a quotation solely for its literary merits.

One example of a quotation that adds flair:

President Calvin Coolidge’s tendency to fall asleep became legendary. As H. L. Mencken commented in the American Mercury in 1933, “Nero fiddled, but Coolidge only snored.”

How do I set up and follow up a quotation?

Once you’ve carefully selected the quotations that you want to use, your next job is to weave those quotations into your text. The words that precede and follow a quotation are just as important as the quotation itself. You can think of each quote as the filling in a sandwich: it may be tasty on its own, but it’s messy to eat without some bread on either side of it. Your words can serve as the “bread” that helps readers digest each quote easily. Below are four guidelines for setting up and following up quotations.

In illustrating these four steps, we’ll use as our example, Franklin Roosevelt’s famous quotation, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

1. Provide context for each quotation.

Do not rely on quotations to tell your story for you. It is your responsibility to provide your reader with context for the quotation. The context should set the basic scene for when, possibly where, and under what circumstances the quotation was spoken or written. So, in providing context for our above example, you might write:

When Franklin Roosevelt gave his inaugural speech on March 4, 1933, he addressed a nation weakened and demoralized by economic depression.

2. Attribute each quotation to its source.

Tell your reader who is speaking. Here is a good test: try reading your text aloud. Could your reader determine without looking at your paper where your quotations begin? If not, you need to attribute the quote more noticeably.

Avoid getting into the “they said” attribution rut! There are many other ways to attribute quotes besides this construction. Here are a few alternative verbs, usually followed by “that”:

Different reporting verbs are preferred by different disciplines, so pay special attention to these in your disciplinary reading. If you’re unfamiliar with the meanings of any of these words or others you find in your reading, consult a dictionary before using them.

3. Explain the significance of the quotation.

Once you’ve inserted your quotation, along with its context and attribution, don’t stop! Your reader still needs your assessment of why the quotation holds significance for your paper. Using our Roosevelt example, if you were writing a paper on the first one-hundred days of FDR’s administration, you might follow the quotation by linking it to that topic:

With that message of hope and confidence, the new president set the stage for his next one-hundred days in office and helped restore the faith of the American people in their government.

4. Provide a citation for the quotation.

All quotations, just like all paraphrases, require a formal citation. For more details about particular citation formats, see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . In general, you should remember one rule of thumb: Place the parenthetical reference or footnote/endnote number after—not within—the closed quotation mark.

Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” (Roosevelt, Public Papers, 11).

Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”1

How do I embed a quotation into a sentence?

In general, avoid leaving quotes as sentences unto themselves. Even if you have provided some context for the quote, a quote standing alone can disrupt your flow.  Take a look at this example:

Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).

Standing by itself, the quote’s connection to the preceding sentence is unclear. There are several ways to incorporate a quote more smoothly:

Lead into the quote with a colon.

Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression: “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).

The colon announces that a quote will follow to provide evidence for the sentence’s claim.

Introduce or conclude the quote by attributing it to the speaker. If your attribution precedes the quote, you will need to use a comma after the verb.

Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. He states, “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).

When faced with a twelve-foot mountain troll, Ron gathers his courage, shouting, “Wingardium Leviosa!” (Rowling, p. 176).

The Pirate King sees an element of regality in their impoverished and dishonest life. “It is, it is a glorious thing/To be a pirate king,” he declares (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).

Interrupt the quote with an attribution to the speaker. Again, you will need to use a comma after the verb, as well as a comma leading into the attribution.

“There is nothing either good or bad,” Hamlet argues, “but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet 2.2).

“And death shall be no more,” Donne writes, “Death thou shalt die” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14).

Dividing the quote may highlight a particular nuance of the quote’s meaning. In the first example, the division calls attention to the two parts of Hamlet’s claim. The first phrase states that nothing is inherently good or bad; the second phrase suggests that our perspective causes things to become good or bad. In the second example, the isolation of “Death thou shalt die” at the end of the sentence draws a reader’s attention to that phrase in particular. As you decide whether or not you want to break up a quote, you should consider the shift in emphasis that the division might create.

Use the words of the quote grammatically within your own sentence.

When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he “could be bounded in a nutshell and count [him]self a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2), he implies that thwarted ambition did not cause his depression.

Ultimately, death holds no power over Donne since in the afterlife, “death shall be no more” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14).

Note that when you use “that” after the verb that introduces the quote, you no longer need a comma.

The Pirate King argues that “it is, it is a glorious thing/to be a pirate king” (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).

How much should I quote?

As few words as possible. Remember, your paper should primarily contain your own words, so quote only the most pithy and memorable parts of sources. Here are guidelines for selecting quoted material judiciously:

Excerpt fragments.

Sometimes, you should quote short fragments, rather than whole sentences. Suppose you interviewed Jane Doe about her reaction to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She commented:

“I couldn’t believe it. It was just unreal and so sad. It was just unbelievable. I had never experienced such denial. I don’t know why I felt so strongly. Perhaps it was because JFK was more to me than a president. He represented the hopes of young people everywhere.”

You could quote all of Jane’s comments, but her first three sentences are fairly redundant. You might instead want to quote Jane when she arrives at the ultimate reason for her strong emotions:

Jane Doe grappled with grief and disbelief. She had viewed JFK, not just as a national figurehead, but as someone who “represented the hopes of young people everywhere.”

Excerpt those fragments carefully!

Quoting the words of others carries a big responsibility. Misquoting misrepresents the ideas of others. Here’s a classic example of a misquote:

John Adams has often been quoted as having said: “This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it.”

John Adams did, in fact, write the above words. But if you see those words in context, the meaning changes entirely. Here’s the rest of the quotation:

Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been on the point of breaking out, ‘this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!!’ But in this exclamation, I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in public company—I mean hell.

As you can see from this example, context matters!

This example is from Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions (Oxford University Press, 1989).

Use block quotations sparingly.

There may be times when you need to quote long passages. However, you should use block quotations only when you fear that omitting any words will destroy the integrity of the passage. If that passage exceeds four lines (some sources say five), then set it off as a block quotation.

Be sure you are handling block quotes correctly in papers for different academic disciplines–check the index of the citation style guide you are using. Here are a few general tips for setting off your block quotations:

• Set up a block quotation with your own words followed by a colon.
• Indent. You normally indent 4-5 spaces for the start of a paragraph. When setting up a block quotation, indent the entire paragraph once from the left-hand margin.
• Single space or double space within the block quotation, depending on the style guidelines of your discipline (MLA, CSE, APA, Chicago, etc.).
• Do not use quotation marks at the beginning or end of the block quote—the indentation is what indicates that it’s a quote.
• Place parenthetical citation according to your style guide (usually after the period following the last sentence of the quote).
• Follow up a block quotation with your own words.

So, using the above example from John Adams, here’s how you might include a block quotation:

After reading several doctrinally rigid tracts, John Adams recalled the zealous ranting of his former teacher, Joseph Cleverly, and minister, Lemuel Bryant. He expressed his ambivalence toward religion in an 1817 letter to Thomas Jefferson:

Adams clearly appreciated religion, even if he often questioned its promotion.

How do I combine quotation marks with other punctuation marks?

It can be confusing when you start combining quotation marks with other punctuation marks. You should consult a style manual for complicated situations, but the following two rules apply to most cases:

Keep periods and commas within quotation marks.

So, for example:

According to Professor Poe, werewolves “represent anxiety about the separation between human and animal,” and werewolf movies often “interrogate those boundaries.”

In the above example, both the comma and period were enclosed in the quotation marks. The main exception to this rule involves the use of internal citations, which always precede the last period of the sentence. For example:

According to Professor Poe, werewolves “represent anxiety about the separation between human and animal,” and werewolf movies often “interrogate those boundaries” (Poe 167).

Note, however, that the period remains inside the quotation marks when your citation style involves superscript footnotes or endnotes. For example:

According to Professor Poe, werewolves “represent anxiety about the separation between human and animal,” and werewolf movies often “interrogate those boundaries.” 2

Place all other punctuation marks (colons, semicolons, exclamation marks, question marks) outside the quotation marks, except when they were part of the original quotation.

Take a look at the following examples:

I couldn’t believe it when my friend passed me a note in the cafe saying the management “started charging $15 per hour for parking”!

The coach yelled, “Run!”

In the first example, the author placed the exclamation point outside the quotation mark because she added it herself to emphasize the outrageous nature of the parking price change. The original note had not included an exclamation mark. In the second example, the exclamation mark remains within the quotation mark because it is indicating the excited tone in which the coach yelled the command. Thus, the exclamation mark is considered to be part of the original quotation.

How do I indicate quotations within quotations?

If you are quoting a passage that contains a quotation, then you use single quotation marks for the internal quotation. Quite rarely, you quote a passage that has a quotation within a quotation. In that rare instance, you would use double quotation marks for the second internal quotation.

Here’s an example of a quotation within a quotation:

In “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Hans Christian Andersen wrote, “‘But the Emperor has nothing on at all!’ cried a little child.”

Remember to consult your style guide to determine how to properly cite a quote within a quote.

When do I use those three dots ( . . . )?

Whenever you want to leave out material from within a quotation, you need to use an ellipsis, which is a series of three periods, each of which should be preceded and followed by a space. So, an ellipsis in this sentence would look like . . . this. There are a few rules to follow when using ellipses:

Be sure that you don’t fundamentally change the meaning of the quotation by omitting material.

Take a look at the following example:

“The Writing Center is located on the UNC campus and serves the entire UNC community.”

“The Writing Center . . . serves the entire UNC community.”

The reader’s understanding of the Writing Center’s mission to serve the UNC community is not affected by omitting the information about its location.

Do not use ellipses at the beginning or ending of quotations, unless it’s important for the reader to know that the quotation was truncated.

For example, using the above example, you would NOT need an ellipsis in either of these situations:

“The Writing Center is located on the UNC campus . . .”

The Writing Center ” . . . serves the entire UNC community.”

Use punctuation marks in combination with ellipses when removing material from the end of sentences or clauses.

For example, if you take material from the end of a sentence, keep the period in as usual.

“The boys ran to school, forgetting their lunches and books. Even though they were out of breath, they made it on time.”

“The boys ran to school. . . . Even though they were out of breath, they made it on time.”

Likewise, if you excerpt material at the end of clause that ends in a comma, retain the comma.

“The red car came to a screeching halt that was heard by nearby pedestrians, but no one was hurt.”

“The red car came to a screeching halt . . . , but no one was hurt.”

Is it ever okay to insert my own words or change words in a quotation?

Sometimes it is necessary for clarity and flow to alter a word or words within a quotation. You should make such changes rarely. In order to alert your reader to the changes you’ve made, you should always bracket the altered words. Here are a few examples of situations when you might need brackets:

Changing verb tense or pronouns in order to be consistent with the rest of the sentence.

Suppose you were quoting a woman who, when asked about her experiences immigrating to the United States, commented “nobody understood me.” You might write:

Esther Hansen felt that when she came to the United States “nobody understood [her].”

In the above example, you’ve changed “me” to “her” in order to keep the entire passage in third person. However, you could avoid the need for this change by simply rephrasing:

“Nobody understood me,” recalled Danish immigrant Esther Hansen.

Including supplemental information that your reader needs in order to understand the quotation.

For example, if you were quoting someone’s nickname, you might want to let your reader know the full name of that person in brackets.

“The principal of the school told Billy [William Smith] that his contract would be terminated.”

Similarly, if a quotation referenced an event with which the reader might be unfamiliar, you could identify that event in brackets.

“We completely revised our political strategies after the strike [of 1934].”

Indicating the use of nonstandard grammar or spelling.

In rare situations, you may quote from a text that has nonstandard grammar, spelling, or word choice. In such cases, you may want to insert [sic], which means “thus” or “so” in Latin. Using [sic] alerts your reader to the fact that this nonstandard language is not the result of a typo on your part. Always italicize “sic” and enclose it in brackets. There is no need to put a period at the end. Here’s an example of when you might use [sic]:

Twelve-year-old Betsy Smith wrote in her diary, “Father is afraid that he will be guilty of beach [sic] of contract.”

Here [sic] indicates that the original author wrote “beach of contract,” not breach of contract, which is the accepted terminology.

Do not overuse brackets!

For example, it is not necessary to bracket capitalization changes that you make at the beginning of sentences. For example, suppose you were going to use part of this quotation:

“The colors scintillated curiously over a hard carapace, and the beetle’s tiny antennae made gentle waving motions as though saying hello.”

If you wanted to begin a sentence with an excerpt from the middle of this quotation, there would be no need to bracket your capitalization changes.

“The beetle’s tiny antennae made gentle waving motions as though saying hello,” said Dr. Grace Farley, remembering a defining moment on her journey to becoming an entomologist.

Not: “[T]he beetle’s tiny antennae made gentle waving motions as though saying hello,” said Dr. Grace Farley, remembering a defining moment on her journey to becoming an entomologist.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Barzun, Jacques, and Henry F. Graff. 2012. The Modern Researcher , 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. FitzGerald. 2016. The Craft of Research , 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gibaldi, Joseph. 2009. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 7th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America.

Turabian, Kate. 2018. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, Dissertations , 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

MLA Formatting Quotations

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced .

Short quotations

To indicate short quotations (four typed lines or fewer of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page number (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the in-text citation, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation.

Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage, but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

For example, when quoting short passages of prose, use the following examples:

When using short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in verse with a slash, ( / ), at the end of each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). If a stanza break occurs during the quotation, use a double slash ( // ).

Long quotations

For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2   inch  from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come  after the closing punctuation mark . When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

For example, when citing more than four lines of prose, use the following examples :

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

When citing long sections of poetry (four lines of verse or more), keep formatting as close to the original as possible.

In his poem "My Papa's Waltz," Theodore Roethke explores his childhood with his father:

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We Romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. (qtd. in Shrodes, Finestone, Shugrue 202)

When citing two or more paragraphs, use block quotation format, even if the passage from the paragraphs is less than four lines. If you cite more than one paragraph, the first line of the second paragraph should be indented an extra 1/4 inch to denote a new paragraph:

In "American Origins of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Movement," David Russell argues,

Writing has been an issue in American secondary and higher education since papers and examinations came into wide use in the 1870s, eventually driving out formal recitation and oral examination. . . .

From its birth in the late nineteenth century, progressive education has wrestled with the conflict within industrial society between pressure to increase specialization of knowledge and of professional work (upholding disciplinary standards) and pressure to integrate more fully an ever-widening number of citizens into intellectually meaningful activity within mass society (promoting social equity). . . . (3)

Adding or omitting words in quotations

If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text:

If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipses, which are three periods ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space. For example:

Please note that brackets are not needed around ellipses unless they would add clarity.

When omitting words from poetry quotations, use a standard three-period ellipses; however, when omitting one or more full lines of poetry, space several periods to about the length of a complete line in the poem:

Quote Within a Quote – Guide and Examples

| Candace Osmond

| Punctuation

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Many English writers get confused about the English guidelines on quoting within a quote. Where should you place the single quotes? When do we use the double quotes?

Let’s discuss the basic rules on how to quote a quote. I also shared some sentence examples that will help you understand the topic.

How to Quote a Quote

The basic rule for quoting within a quote is using single quotation marks within double quotation marks. This structure is called a nested quotation, which follows a hierarchy of alternating between double and single quotes.

• “Notice how the poem said, ‘With no sign of wan, he soldiered on, and brought us back to life,’” said the teacher.

The example above uses single quotes within double quotes as the American rule. The main quote is enclosed within double speech marks, while the quotation within the quotation is enclosed in single marks.

At the end of every sentence, single and double marks should appear as a matching closing quotation mark. This signals the end of the inner and outer quotations.

Below are more examples:

• Joshua told Bobbi, “Mary says, ‘Let’s go out tomorrow.’”
• “We don’t all have the same ‘privilege’ as you,” Karen exclaimed.

Another essential rule is to use the same opening and closing speech marks.

• Incorrect: Joshua told Bobbi, “Mary says, ‘Let’s go out tomorrow.’
• Correct: Joshua told Bobbi, “Mary says, ‘Let’s go out tomorrow.’”

To use a quote within a quote within another quote, that means the innermost mark should be double marks.

• Mae asked her followers, “What do you think about the brand closing down ‘due to private reasons, which the CEO deems “a wise choice”’?”

How to Quote a Quote with Exclamation Points

Quoting with exclamation points and question marks also follows the American-style quotation marks. But unlike periods, exclamation points and question marks can be placed in quotations within quotations.

Remember to place the punctuation mark within the single closing quotation mark.

• The professor told the class, “Henri Nouwen asked, ‘Did I offer peace today?’”

But if the question is within the outer quotation marks, then the question mark should be between the single and double quotation marks. This also means that the question mark should come before the outermost quotation mark.

• The professor asked the class, “Which philosopher said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’?”

Notice there’s no period after the inner quote’s last word, “living.” That’s because one of the many quotation mark rules is that the stronger mark wins. Exclamation points and question marks are “stronger” than periods, so there’s no need to add one.

How to Quote Multiple Quotes in One Sentence

It’s also possible to quote multiple quotes within a quote in only one sentence.

• In his speech, Eddie told the people, “My brother told me, ‘Just forget about it,’ but my friends said, ‘never give up.’”
• I remember my grandfather saying, “‘Be strong’ and ‘Keep smiling’ were the daily reminders I had for myself.”

In the sentence above, two quotations are enclosed within double quotation marks.

When to Use Apostrophes

Apostrophes are known as the most abused punctuation marks in the English language. Never use them to quote statements. Instead, they should only have two functions: to show possession and to indicate a contraction.

• Lane’s favorite show is Peaky Blinders.
• You shouldn’t mention his name to Jia again.

Double apostrophe marks are also not substitutes for double quote marks.

• Incorrect: Ian asked, ‘’Who’s the new headmaster?’’
• Correct: Ian asked, “Who’s the new headmaster?”

When to Use Colons When Quoting

Creative writers can choose whether they want to use commas or colons for dialogues. In formal writing , commas are more common. However, some style guides recommend using a colon if the introduction is an independent clause.

• The tour guides always have the same advice to tourists: “Do not feed them, or they will attack you.”
• The author’s words struck me: “Go if it hurts. Go if it’s time.”

Another rule for colons vs. quotation marks is to use a comma if the introduction is not an independent clause.

• Incorrect: My daughter looked up to me and said: “Mom, I’m sleepy.”
• Correct: My daughter looked up to me and said, “Mom, I’m sleepy.”

You can only use a comma after a quotation.

For example:

• Incorrect: “Don’t look down:” Paul told Isabel.
• Correct: “Don’t look down,” Paul told Isabel.
• Paul told Isabel: “Don’t look down.”

How to Use Semicolons in Quotes Within Quotes

It gets more complex when unusual punctuation marks are inside quotes within quotes. But you can use semicolons the same way we use them outside quotations.

• The scientist stated, “At the beginning of the research, the participants described the food as ‘moderately spicy’; at the end, they described it as ‘very spicy.’”

Quotes Within Quotes in British English

You might also find in an essay or book that the systems of speech marks are the opposite. These are usually British writing pieces. The single quote marks are for outer quotes, while double quote marks are for inner quotes.

• The speaker told the crowd, ‘I hear someone saying, “Me too”’.
• She said, “My favorite episode from the show is ‘The One With the Prom Video’”.

Notice how the period is outside the outer quotes. British English punctuation rules state that commas and periods are always outside the closing quotation mark. The only exception is when the marks are part of the quotation.

Summary of Quoting Within Quotes

I hope this guide helps English writers correctly use quotes within quotes. Remember, if you’re a British writer:

• Single quotes should enclose the main quote.
• Put the periods and commas outside quotation marks.

But if you write for Americans:

• Double quotes should enclose the main quote.
• Put periods and commas inside quotation marks.

Grammarist is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you.

2024 © Grammarist, a Found First Marketing company. All rights reserved.

The Placement of a Comma or Period after a Quotation

When a comma or period is needed after a quotation, publishers in the United States typically put the punctuation mark before the closing quotation mark. The reason for this convention is to improve the appearance of the text. The convention goes back at least to the nineteenth century. John Wilson’s A Treatise on English Punctuation (1850) says that it provides for “neatness” (114). A comma or period that follows a closing double quotation mark hangs off by itself and creates a gap in the line of text (since the space over the comma or period combines with the following word space).

British publishers tend to put the comma or period after the quotation mark. But the British usually use the narrower, single quotation mark as the primary quotation mark. There is less of an aesthetic penalty to placing a comma or period after a single quotation mark, since the mark of punctuation isn’t stranded as far from the previous word.

It’s true that the convention followed in the United States treats the comma or period as if it were part of the quoted material. But the practice is “not likely to give a false meaning to the words cited” (Wilson 114). Indeed, this sleight of hand involving punctuation is minor compared with the violence of quotation itself: quoting almost always entails wrenching the original author’s words out of their context, an action that inevitably affects their meaning.

The conventions of scholarly quotation—removing the original context, adapting the extract to fit the new context, and others—are well understood. They don’t unduly compromise the source if they’re followed carefully.

Wilson, John. A Treatise on English Punctuation . 2nd ed., Boston, 1850.  HathiTrust Digital Library , 13 May 2012, hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx521x.

54 Comments

Susan l schoenbeck 21 april 2019 at 01:04 pm.

...food industry in U.S.".

Does the period go after the quotation mark in the above case?

Your e-mail address will not be published

Jennifer A. Rappaport 22 April 2019 AT 06:04 AM

Thanks for your question. The period at the end of the abbreviation serves as the final period:

". . . food industry in the U.S."

No additional period is needed.

T. Xi 08 August 2021 AT 05:08 PM

Technically the periods in U.S. are for its acronym, so yes, you would put the period at the end because the 'period' in U.S. is exclusive to 'U.S.' and can not and should not be used to suddenly be used for the two purposes of initializing and ending the sentence at the same time. That can't be literature or writing in any shape or form otherwise. It makes very little logic and there's no consistency at all.

michael Ferrin 24 October 2021 AT 09:10 AM

Incorrect. The period at the end of the abbreviation correctly serves as the final period.

alexandero11 06 January 2022 AT 06:01 PM

At this point, you ARE obligated to explain yourself. Otherwise, it's your word against T. Xi's, and let's be real here, at face value, T. Xi's makes more LOGICAL sense. Whether or not it is the correct way remains to be seen, and one random person saying "you're wrong" hurts way more than it helps. Please explain WHY you feel he is wrong, so that your reply has a purpose. Thank you.

Jerry 24 May 2022 AT 04:05 AM

Uh... he did explain it. You don't need to get hostile, the last period of an abbreviation acts as the final period.

My NAME is CAPITALIZED 03 November 2023 AT 07:11 AM

And, of course, putting EMPHASIS on words by CAPITALIZING them is a even BETTER practice, since it just makes MORE sense. Okay, in all seriousness, the period in an abbreviation does/can also act as the ending period. For example: “examples of this include fish, a common dish; beef, a rather frowned upon dish; sheep skin, often considered cannibalism by sheep-folk; etc..” The double period is a HUGE no-go, and, frankly, looks horrible. Instead one uses a single period and then a capitalized letter after it to signify the beginning of a new sentence. The same is true when one has a quotation mark (‘ ” ’) in the way.

KB from USA 15 February 2023 AT 11:02 AM

When quotation marks are used at the end of a sentence, the placement of the period depends on whether the quote is a complete sentence or a phrase.

If the quote is a complete sentence, the period is placed inside the closing quotation mark. For example:

She said, "I'm going to the store."

If the quote is only a phrase, the period is placed outside the closing quotation mark. For example:

She said she was going to "the store on Main Street".

Note that this rule applies to American English. In British English, the period is typically placed outside the closing quotation mark, even for complete sentences.

Source: ChatGPT

Geek 02 November 2023 AT 09:11 AM

Okay, I agree with what you're saying, but ChatGPT is about as unreliable a source as you can get. I tried about five minutes ago to get the answer to how you punctuate phrases in the exact way you do, but ChatGPT (Bing Chat, in my case) promptly gave me incorrect info before gaslighting me on the validity of said info. That's why I'm here- to get actual answers from actual people. ChatGPT may be incredibly smart, but don't take its responses as fact. After all, it's trained on the internet, and as we all know, that's not exactly the most reliable source.

Joseph 17 November 2023 AT 12:11 PM

...food industry in U.S." is correct in conversational writing but in academic discourse with citations we use the following ...food industry in U.S."(246). *(the 246 is a fictitious page number provided as example only)

Demi Wang 24 November 2020 AT 01:11 AM

The expression de facto means “exercising power as if legally constituted”. Or The expression de facto means “exercising power as if legally constituted.”

Should period be placed before of after the ending quotation? Please help. Thanks

Jennifer A. Rappaport 28 November 2020 AT 10:11 AM

Thanks for your question. In MLA style, the period should be placed before the ending quotation mark.

R 12 March 2021 AT 03:03 PM

Should I make a period after the author's name? Ex. ".....blah blah." (MacLean 189). or "......blah blah." (MacLean 189)

Angela Gibson 22 March 2021 AT 11:03 AM

An example sentence with in-text citation from the post is instructive:

John Wilson’s A Treatise on English Punctuation (1850) says that it provides for “neatness” (114).

In your examples the correct punctuation would be

x. “…..blah blah” (MacLean 189).

Jeong cp 21 March 2021 AT 11:03 PM

"MLA vs APA 7 Format"

To add on, there are several main differences in "MLA 8 vs APA 7 " format.

The various revisions to both MLA and APA format respectively, have indeed created more confusion for both researchers and seasoned writers from different jurisdictions (common and civil law domains).

Regards, Jeong CP

Sorry but I don't believe in that period placement at all. My way of thinking closely matches mathematics and computation. The period is not part of the quotation, but the sentence itself. It's meant as a placeholder and marks the end of the sentence, not the quote.

Grammatically in my opinion, the period should always be at the end because that's always how a sentence ends. A quote is its own phrase that must be contained within the sentence like a math formula. The period is equivalent to the "=" sign.

The period that is included within the quotation marks ends the quote itsself only, not the sentence.

My client replied "yeah". vs My client replied "yeah."

Visually and logically the period looks awkward inside the quotation marks. If a comma is placed inside instead of a period, it suggests there is a continuation of the quote or the sentence hasn't ended. And sometimes people put a comma inside quotation marks even if there's no more quotations being used later in the sentence, which makes even less sense because the comma in the quotation isn't meant to be a comma for the sentence if contained within the quote. If you wanna add a comma, add it like you normally would in a sentence without the quote.

A sentence that ends with a period within a quote, would technically be an unfinished sentence as the period ends the quote, not the sentence. My rule of thumb with periods is they are always last just as that is they are meant for.

For quoting books like above, I would either not put punctuation at all or put a hypen or "-" to show its taken from the middle of a sentence and does not include the last words of the sentence.

Jeffrey Freedman 22 October 2021 AT 08:10 PM

I was listening to you until you said, "wanna," instead of "want to." And from my experience, the periods are placed inside the quotation marks, but in England, outside.

Hal 27 November 2021 AT 09:11 AM

I was considering your point until you defaulted to an ad hominem. So in effect, he wasn't wrong; he just wasn't in jurisdictional alignment with you.

Will 28 April 2022 AT 05:04 PM

That's not an ad hominen attack; he's attacking his behavior. Specifically, his use of "wanna" as a stand-in for his grammatical and syntactical habits. It's entirely in bounds, even if it's overly prescriptivist in a decidedly descriptivist world.

theNextUsername 08 December 2021 AT 05:12 PM

Although language is arbitrary (as long as all parties involved can understand each other), that does not change what standard conventions are. Using the format you have described is completely valid for informal communications, and would probably not even be noticed in most formal situations; however, the article is talking about what a person should use in order to comply with the major formatting specifications. These specifications take into account many aspects of language comprehension and traditional best practices regarding rules like these, which help to define the English language. I disagree that your practice is objectively better, but will concede that it will probably be effective enough for all of your future pursuits in writing. This specific rule does seem to have some controversy as to best practices, so I will close saying that IT DOES NOT REALLY MATTER THAT MUCH.

Ian 04 August 2022 AT 10:08 AM

Your "yeah". looks bad and wrong. You use a comma if the sentence continues regardless of the quoted material. "Yeah," my client said. A sentence that ends with a period within a quote would not be unfinished, because there is a period.

Michael S 15 September 2021 AT 11:09 AM

What about where you are putting a word in scare quotes?

For example: We're told to trust the "experts".

Because expert is not a quotation that calls for punctuation, I always feel like the punctuation is better suited outside the quotation.

Laura Kiernan 24 September 2021 AT 03:09 PM

For information about scare quotes, see section 2.56 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Chris 16 September 2021 AT 12:09 PM

Question mark after quotations? Yes or no.

Laura Kiernan 24 September 2021 AT 01:09 PM

For information about including a question mark after a quotation, see section 6.53 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Richard G Sr. 08 December 2021 AT 08:12 PM

My query as well. It is the question being quoted and therefore, it should be included within the quotes. However, if a quoted statement is being questioned.... the question mark should be placed outside the quotation mark. i.e. I wonder if he said, "I'll try this again a different way"? Some would say to place a period inside the quotation mark and end the question appropriately with a question mark. Can we just all agree that at the end of the statements/questions we understand the content, and however they end, inside or outside the quotation mark is not the importance?

Mary Leonard 21 September 2021 AT 02:09 PM

In the following example where would the period be placed? Before or after the quotation marks? We use a software solution called "DocResponse"

In MLA style, titles of software programs are italicized, so DocResponse should be italicized and the quotation marks should be removed.

Patrick 21 September 2021 AT 08:09 PM

Hi, Would the comma be inside the quotation mark or outside in this case?

Based on the title, “The Road Not Taken”, what do you think the poem will be about?

In your example, the comma should be placed before the ending quotation mark.

Courtney 18 October 2021 AT 12:10 PM

I’ve read over the comments but want to confirm I understand correctly. As an example: My dad asked, “What did you learn from this?” He was trying to get us to blah blah blah etc.

When starting a new sentence you just capitalize the first letter and go with it? You don’t need to end that first sentence with a period after the quote first?

Laura Kiernan 20 October 2021 AT 04:10 PM

See 6.53 of the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Launa 28 October 2021 AT 06:10 PM

Do the rules change at all if the quotes are not being used to quote speech? Example: The theme of the global conference was “Christian Home Life,” and I attended with Mr. and Mrs. Harold Ricardo, and several representatives from the Okinawa Women's Group. OR The theme of the global conference was “Christian Home Life”, and I attended with Mr. and Mrs. Harold Ricardo, and several representatives from the Okinawa Women's Group. Thank you for your assistance.

Laura Kiernan 04 November 2021 AT 11:11 AM

In MLA style, the comma would still be placed before the ending quotation mark.

Stefana Mocanu 24 November 2021 AT 09:11 PM

Could someone help me with a clarification on using the correct punctuation when a dialogue ends with a quote? Example below: "I'm your husband and I need to know if you're cheating on me. But before you start, let me tell you that there will be consequences. You won't see our children - not even your own son. That's what you should have thought about before you broke our vows. So, I'm asking you again: Who is this man you are trying to find out. That's a fair question." "I told you, I'm not cheating. Do you call your insult a 'fair question?'" Juliet asked her husband. Note: I'm wondering if I used the right punctuation (to be in line with the guide of Canadian stylebook for writers) for the last part of Juliet's question. Pls. help! Thank you!

Fatimah Patel 09 December 2021 AT 05:12 PM

Hey! Can someone help me as I'm not sure how this would work.

Where does the end periods go? Is it:

Number 1 is how the quote had been ended with a period. Number 2 is what I changed it to. Which one would be right?

1) unwise to mention them.” (Wyndham 1).

2) unwise to mention them” (Wyndham 1).

Laura Kiernan 14 December 2021 AT 10:12 AM

For information on in-text citations, see this post on the Style Center .

Linda Risner 27 December 2021 AT 11:12 PM

If I have a partial quote in a sentence do I put a comma before the quote? Chapter 14 opens with the words “…a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.” In verse 2, Luke tells us, “But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.”

Joe Willman 14 January 2022 AT 09:01 PM

How about a comma? Is it the same with the comma as well? ex. "blah blah blah," or "blah blah blah",

ReRe 05 February 2022 AT 07:02 AM

My client replied "yeah". vs My client replied "yeah." or My client replied, "Yeah." My personal rule is if the quoted text behaves as a noun, punctuation is outside. In this case, "Yeah" is a not a noun. But I guess I can't include the period to say, "'Yeah.' is not a noun."

The theme of the global conference was “Christian Home Life”; I attended with Mr. and Mrs. Harold Ricardo, and several representatives from the Okinawa Women's Group.

Sharon 09 February 2022 AT 04:02 PM

When should I use a comma in a quote rather than a period. Example... 1. "Mary was not impressed by the plant," Mark said. 2. "Mary was not impressed by the plant." Mark said. 3. "Mary was not impressed by the plant," said Mark.

Margaret 15 March 2022 AT 07:03 PM

What if you have a quote within a sentence, and the quote is at the end? eg: The medical report states “Had a fall at work on Monday. Seen at Emergency Department.". Do you place a further period at the end of the sentence?

Norma Irom 08 April 2022 AT 10:04 AM

Where does the period go in this sentence? I advanced towards becoming “Taekwondo Master”. Or Does period go inside the quoted Taekwondo Master ?

Laura Kiernan 08 April 2022 AT 03:04 PM

Rose 19 may 2022 at 03:05 pm.

Hi! I'm a student who's trying to write a book, and I can't figure it this out. Would it be:

He said "hello.". Then he walked away He said "hello." Then he walked away He said "hello". Then he walked away

May you please send me an email with the right way to phrase it?

James 10 July 2022 AT 11:07 AM

Is the period needed in the following example?

Each of us starin' at the nailed-shut coffin cried, "Amen!".

Trish 26 July 2022 AT 11:07 AM

It is my understanding that you are saying the period should always go inside the quotation marks, however, you don't do that in your writing. The example I am referring to is:

But the practice is “not likely to give a false meaning to the words cited” (Wilson 114).

Is that because the rule is different if there are parenthesis directly after the quote?

Etha 26 September 2022 AT 02:09 PM

This is commonly referred to as "the great compromise". Or This is commonly referred to as "the great compromise."

Eric 06 October 2022 AT 10:10 AM

How do you know to place a comma at the end of a quote or a period? What difference does it make?

Lexie 08 November 2022 AT 05:11 AM

Which of these is right?

"So where did that come from?", she asked herself. "So where did that come from?" she asked herself.

Lexie 08 November 2022 AT 08:11 AM

When you have a question in quotes is it necessary to use a comma after the ending quotation mark? e.g.

"Placements for what?" she thought to herself OR "Placements for what?", she thought to herself

Bob 16 November 2022 AT 10:11 AM

I'm of an age where the rule used to be simple. If it's a phrase of multiple words, the sequence is punctuation-quotation mark; if it's one word, the sequences is quotation mark-punctuation. The latter looks stranger every time I do it. This chain implies there is no hard and fast rule against single word-punctuation-quotation mark. Unless MLA says that is incorrect, I'd like to use it. Recommendations? Thanks.

sasha 08 December 2022 AT 02:12 PM

In a grouping does the comma go inside the apostrophe when using it to denote an exact noun?

Ex: Task completion rate for shops that received ‘add product,’ ‘edit theme,’ and 'buy a domain' improved.

OR is it: Task completion rate for shops that received ‘add product', ‘edit theme', and 'buy a domain' improved.

Tom 10 November 2023 AT 07:11 AM

I was wondering what to do with the period at the end of a sentence I was quoting but when my sentence was not finished yet. I have looked online and experts seem to all be saying that " . . . the period is placed within all of the final quotation marks." so now I have my answer. Still, having more than one period in a sentence irks me some, but I also can't imagine that I should end my sentence after I have said " . . . so now I have my answer." with no period at all, like this So, how do I deal with this situation of an entire sentence being quoted, or at least the end of that sentence, but with the quote not being the end of my sentence?

Join the Conversation

We invite you to comment on this post and exchange ideas with other site visitors. Comments are moderated and subject to terms of service.

If you have a question for the MLA's editors, submit it to Ask the MLA!

• Essay Writing Guides

Quote in an Essay: Do It Properly Following the Standards

When proving your viewpoint, disputing, or just presenting information, it is advisable to back your words with solid arguments or citations. When you have a live discussion or speech, you may turn to other people’s words without considering proper punctuation or formatting style. However, when quoting in an essay, you need to be aware of the principal academic writing rules. This post is devoted to the pivotal peculiarities of quoting.

Quote in an Essay: What Is It?

Before we start discovering how to quote in an essay, we need to find out what a quotation is. A quote in an essay refers to a short excerpt or passage taken directly from a text, speech, or another source that is included within the body of the essay to support or illustrate a point being made by the author.

Quotes in an essay are commonly used to lend credibility, provide evidence, or add depth to an argument or analysis presented in a paper. By incorporating someone else’s words, properly cited and attributed, an author can reinforce their ideas and strengthen the overall impact of their writing. It is important to use quotes sparingly, ensuring they are relevant and effectively incorporated into the essay’s narrative to maintain a coherent flow of ideas.

How to Put a Quote into an Essay

When dealing with essay writing and finding a suitable phrase or words to refer to, it is obligatory to know how to put a quote into an essay. Improper or incorrect citations may play a nasty trick on you and spoil your GPA. Perhaps, in general, you know how to quote, but it must be mentioned that punctuation always depends on the required formatting style.

However, there are some commonly accepted standards.

Choose a relevant quote

Use quotes in an essay that support or enhance your argument, emphasize a point, or provide evidence from a credible source. Ensure that the quote aligns with the topic and purpose of your essay.

Introducing the quote

Begin by introducing the quote with context, attribution, and the source. It can be done by briefly explaining who said or wrote the quote and why it is significant in relation to your essay’s topic.

Punctuate correctly

Use quotation marks to enclose the quote in an essay and indicate that it is someone else’s words. Place any punctuation marks (like commas or periods) that belong to the quote inside the quotation marks, while those that pertain to the overall sentence are placed outside.

Provide citation

After the quote, you need to include an in-text citation to indicate the source. It typically includes the author’s name (or the name of the organization if it’s a corporate source) and the page number (if applicable). Additionally, make sure to follow the appropriate citation format required by your academic institution or professor (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago style).

Analyze and explain

After using a quote in an essay and providing the necessary citation, it’s crucial to analyze and explain its relevance to your argument. It helps connect the quote to your overall essay and demonstrates your understanding of its implications.

Remember, quotes can add credibility, depth, and support to your essay, but they should be used sparingly and always be integrated smoothly into your writing. Avoid excessively long quotes that may overshadow your original ideas, and make sure to balance them with your analysis and interpretation.

Why You Need to Identify the Quotation Source

It is crucial to identify your sources in quotes in an essay because they strengthen the credibility and reliability of your statements. By providing clear attribution to the original authors or creators of the information you are quoting, you give proper acknowledgement and respect to their intellectual property. What is more:

• Identifying sources also allows readers or listeners to verify the accuracy and validity of the information presented.
• It demonstrates your commitment to ethical writing, honest research, and responsible information sharing.
• Properly identifying sources in quotations also helps in avoiding plagiarism.

An essay with quotes is often highly valued and graded since it is a sign of profound and well-thought investigation that requires an indication of the primary source.

Short Quotations in an Essay

If you need to quote in a paragraph and choose a short quotation, you should seamlessly integrate it into your writing following the next steps:

• Provide some context to your readers regarding the topic or the source of the quotation. It helps set the stage and insert a quote in an essay. For instance, you could mention the name of the author, the work they have written, or the primary subject being discussed.
• Next, use a signal phrase or an introductory phrase to introduce a quote in an essay. It can involve using phrases like “According to,” “As mentioned by,” or “In the words of.” Make sure to attribute the quote to its rightful owner, providing their name or relevant credentials.
• After the introductory phrase, insert the short quotation itself. Enclose it within quotation marks (“”) to clearly indicate that you use someone else’s words.

Ensure that quotations in an essay are accurate and word-for-word from a credible source. If you need to omit or modify any part of the quotation for better clarity or conciseness, use ellipses (…) or brackets ([ ]) respectively to convey those changes.

Quote In an Essay: MLA, APA, Chicago

When citing a quote in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, there are specific guidelines to follow. Here’s how you can quote in an essay in each of these formats:

When you quote in an essay MLA, you need to include the author’s last name and page number in parentheses. For example:

“Quote here” (Author’s Last Name Page Number).

In APA style, you should indicate the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number. For example:

“Quote here” (Author’s Last Name, Year, p. Page Number).

• Chicago Style

In Chicago style, there are two quotation essay methods: notes and bibliography or author-date.

• Notes and Bibliography: In this method, you should use footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography. The first citation includes the author’s full name, the title of the source, and the publication information. For subsequent citations, use the author’s last name and a shortened title.

Footnote example:

1st citation: Author’s Full Name, Title of Source (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), Page Number.

Subsequent citation: Author’s Last Name, Shortened Title of Source, Page Number.

• Author-Date: In this method, you should indicate the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number in parentheses within the text.

“Quote here” (Author’s Last Name Year, Page Number).

Remember, when citing quotes, it is crucial to properly attribute a reliable source to avoid plagiarism and provide a clear reference for readers to locate the cited material in your essay with quotes.

Quoting Articles: Introduction in Different Formatting Styles

Quoting an article in an essay in different formatting styles can add variety and visual appeal to your writing. Here are a few ways to do so:

• In accordance with MLA formatting guidelines, you can introduce a quote by providing the author’s name and cited page number in parentheses after the quote. For example:

According to John Doe, “citation text” (25).

• In APA formatting, you can introduce a quote by mentioning the author’s name, publication year, and page number in parentheses. Here’s an example:

Smith (2019) stated, “citation text” (p. 42).

• In Chicago style, you have the option to use footnotes or endnotes to introduce a quote. For footnotes, you can indicate the author’s name, article title, publication date, and page number. Here’s how it can be done:

As stated by Jane Smith in her article “Wild Life,” published on April 1, 2020, “citation text”

• In Harvard referencing, you can introduce a quote by including the author’s name, publication year, and page number, all within parentheses. Such an introduction would look like this:

According to Williams (2018, p. 10), “citation text”

Remember, it’s important to follow the specific formatting guidelines required by your academic institution or publication. These examples serve as a starting point, but always consult the appropriate style guide for accurate referencing.

Example Quotes in an Essay

The best way to cite correctly is to follow the example quotes in an essay. Here are some samples of the main formatting styles.

MLA formatting style:

• “Innovation is the pushing force of progress in our rapidly changing world” (Smith 23).
• As Smith states, “Innovation is the pushing force of progress in our rapidly changing world” (23)

APA formatting style:

• “Innovation is the pushing force of progress in our rapidly changing world” (Smith, 2023, p. 23).
• According to Smith (2023), “Innovation is the pushing force of progress in our rapidly changing world” (p. 23)

Chicago formatting style:

• “Innovation is the pushing force of progress in our rapidly changing world” (Smith, 2023, 23).

Now, everything is clear on how to quote in an essay and why it is important to cite properly for the sake of credibility and academic integrity.

• Research Paper Writing Guides

A Guide to Using Quotations in Essays

Quotations Add Credibility to a Persuasive Essay

• Love Quotes
• Great Lines from Movies and Television
• Quotations For Holidays
• Best Sellers
• Classic Literature
• Plays & Drama
• Shakespeare
• Short Stories
• Children's Books
• M.B.A, Human Resource Development and Management, Narsee Monjee Institution of Management Studies
• B.S., University of Mumbai, Commerce, Accounting, and Finance

If you want to make an impact on your reader, you can draw on the potency of quotations. The  effective use of quotations  augments the power of your arguments and makes your essays more interesting.

But there is a need for caution! Are you convinced that the quotation you have chosen is helping your essay and not hurting it? Here are some factors to consider to ensure that you are doing the right thing.

What Is This Quotation Doing in This Essay?

Let us begin at the beginning. You have a chosen a quotation for your essay. But, why that specific quotation?

A good quotation should do one or more of the following:

• Make an opening impact on the reader
• Build credibility for your essay
• Make the essay more interesting
• Close the essay with a point to ponder upon

If the quotation does not meet a few of these objectives, then it is of little value. Merely stuffing a quotation into your essay can do more harm than good.

Your Essay Is Your Mouthpiece

Should the quotation speak for the essay or should the essay speak for the quotation? Quotations should add impact to the essay and not steal the show. If your quotation has more punch than your essay, then something is seriously wrong. Your essay should be able to stand on its own legs; the quotation should merely make this stand stronger.

How Many Quotations Should You Use in Your Essay?

Using too many quotations is like having several people shouting on your behalf. This will drown out your voice. Refrain from overcrowding your essay with words of wisdom from famous people. You own the essay, so make sure that you are heard.

Don't Make It Look Like You Plagiarized

There are some rules and standards when using quotations in an essay. The most important one is that you should not give the impression of being the author of the quotation. That would amount to plagiarism . Here are a set of rules to clearly distinguish your writing from the quotation:

• You may describe the quotation in your own words before using it. In this case, you should use a colon (:) to indicate the beginning of the quotation. Then begin the quotation with a quotation mark ("). After you have completed the quotation, close it with a quotation mark ("). Here is an example: Sir Winston Churchill made a witty remark on the attitude of a pessimist: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
• The sentence in which the quotation is embedded might not explicitly describe the quotation, but merely introduce it. In such a case, do away with the colon. Simply use the quotation marks . Here is an example: Sir Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
• As far as possible, you should mention the author and the source of the quotation. For instance: In Shakespeare ’s play "As You Like It," Touchstone says to Audrey in the Forest of Arden, "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." (Act V, Scene I).
• Ensure that the source of your quotation is authentic. Also, verify the author of your quotation. You can do so by looking up the quotation on authoritative websites. For formal writing, do not rely on just one website.

Blend Quotations In

An essay can seem quite jarring if the quotation does not blend in. The quotation should naturally fit into your essay. No one is interested in reading quotation-stuffed essays.

Here are some good tips on blending in your quotations:

• You can begin your essay with a quotation that sets off the basic idea of the essay. This can have a lasting impact on your reader. In the introductory paragraph of your essay, you can comment on the quotation if you like. In any case, do ensure that the relevance of the quotation is communicated well.
• Your choice of phrases and adjectives can significantly boost the impact of the quotation in your essay. Do not use monotonous phrases like: "George Washington once said...." If your essay is written for the appropriate context, consider using emphatic expressions like: "George Washington rocked the nation by saying...."

Using Long Quotations

It is usually better to have short and crisp quotations in your essay. Generally, long quotations must be used sparingly as they tend to weigh down the reader. However, there are times when your essay has more impact with a longer quotation.

If you have decided to use a long quotation, consider paraphrasing , as it usually works better. But, there is a downside to paraphrasing too. Instead of paraphrasing, if you use a direct quotation , you will avoid misrepresentation. The decision to use a long quotation is not trivial. It is your judgment call.

If you are convinced that a particular long quotation is more effective, be sure to format and punctuate it correctly.   Long quotations should be set off as block quotations . The format of block quotations should follow the guidelines that you might have been provided. If there are no specific guidelines, you can follow the usual standard—if a quotation is more than three lines long, you set it off as a block quote. Blocking implies indenting it about half an inch on the left.

Usually, a brief introduction to a long quotation is warranted. In other cases, you might need to provide a complete analysis of the quotation. In this case, it is best to begin with the quotation and follow it with the analysis, rather than the other way around.

Using Cute Quotes or Poetry

Some students choose a cute quotation first and then try to plug it into their essay. As a consequence, such quotations usually drag the reader away from the essay.

Quoting a verse from a poem, however, can add a lot of charm to your essay. I have come across writing that acquires a romantic edge merely by including a poetic quotation. If you are quoting from poetry, keep in mind that a small extract of a poem, say about two lines long, requires the use of slash marks (/) to indicate line breaks. Here is an example:

Charles Lamb has aptly described a child as "A child's a plaything for an hour;/ Its pretty tricks we try / For that or for a longer space; / Then tire, and lay it by." (1-4)

If you use a single line extract of a poem, punctuate it like any other short quotation without the slashes. Quotation marks are required at the beginning and at the end of the extract. However, if your quotation is more than three lines of poetry, I would suggest that you treat it like you would have treated a long quotation from prose. In this case, you should use the block quote format.

Does Your Reader Understand the Quotation?

Perhaps the most important question you must ask yourself when using a quotation is: "Do readers understand the quotation and its relevance to my essay ?"

If the reader is re-reading a quotation, just to understand it, then you are in trouble. So when you choose a quotation for your essay, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this too convoluted for my reader?
• Does this match the tastes of my audience ?
• Is the grammar and vocabulary in this quotation understandable?
• Examples of Great Introductory Paragraphs
• How to Use Block Quotations in Writing
• Definition and Examples of Direct Quotations
• Definition and Examples of Quotation in English Grammar
• Guidelines for Using Quotation Marks Correctly
• How to Use Shakespeare Quotes
• Practice in Using Quotation Marks Correctly
• What Is an Indentation?
• How and When to Paraphrase Quotations
• Difference Between "Quote" and "Quotation": What Is the Right Word?
• Development in Composition: Building an Essay
• Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?
• How to Use Indirect Quotations in Writing for Complete Clarity
• Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence for an Essay
• What an Essay Is and How to Write One

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Its Future in Doubt, the Freewheeling ‘Inside the NBA’ Is on Edge Instead

Next season could be the last for TNT’s influential and beloved studio show, and Charles Barkley, for one, will not be going quietly.

By Tania Ganguli

Reporting from Minneapolis

The future of “Inside the NBA” was already a sensitive topic when Charles Barkley stepped into an elevator in Minneapolis after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals late Friday night. Barkley’s on-air candor as an analyst is a key reason that the studio show has become so influential and beloved among basketball fans and around the league.

But these are tense times for the show and those who work on it. Warner Bros. Discovery has not secured the rights to continue broadcasting N.B.A. games on TNT beyond next season. Without those, the long-term future of “Inside the NBA” is uncertain. So when Barkley, who had already batted away several attempts by security and public relations officials to prevent him from doing an interview, ushered me into an elevator filled with his co-workers, not everyone was happy.

Kenny Smith, Barkley’s on-screen foil , voiced his irritation. But Barkley, as he has done throughout his decades in the public eye, made clear that he wouldn’t be muzzled.

“Hey, man, I can talk to who I want to,” Barkley said to Smith, using an expletive. Others in the elevator shifted uncomfortably.

“You should do that out there,” Smith said, suggesting the interview be done outside the elevator.

Barkley turned to me: “Don’t worry about him.”

“She should clear it through Turner,” Smith said. “She should do it the right way.”

Why was it so important for him to talk, I asked Barkley, even if others around him didn’t want him to? He nodded to the impact the uncertainty has on staff members who work on the show. And not just the well-known, on-air personalities: Barkley, Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and the host, Ernie Johnson.

“It’s people’s lives,” Barkley said. “Not my life. Not Ernie’s life. Not Kenny’s life. Not Shaq’s life. But all the people who work here. We probably have 100 people who do work on the show. So they’re, like, real people. I’ve seen their kids born, graduate high school, graduate college.”

“Inside the NBA” began when Turner Sports acquired the rights to broadcast N.B.A. games in 1989. Johnson became the host in 1990, and Smith joined him in 1998. The arrival of Barkley, and his unfiltered opinions, in 2000 firmly established the show as appointment TV for basketball fans and an integral piece of the league’s culture. O’Neal joined the broadcast in 2011, and the group’s irreverent and astute basketball analysis, unfettered by concerns about access or egos, has endeared it to viewers and critics. Now this mainstay of N.B.A. coverage may be endangered — at least in its current format.

Warner Bros. Discovery did not reach a deal with the N.B.A. during their exclusive negotiating window, leading to reports that it might lose the rights. David Zaslav, Warner’s chief executive, has said the company had the right to match any offer. When asked by TMZ on Thursday about the possibility of losing the show, the N.B.A.’s commissioner, Adam Silver, said : “We’re all still talking. Who knows how it’s going to work out?”

The jittery feeling surrounding the negotiations is in sharp contrast to the freewheeling style that has made “Inside the NBA” so popular.

Early in his tenure, Barkley colorfully stated that he would kiss Smith’s rear end if the Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming, who was then a relatively unproven 7-foot-6 center from China, scored 19 points in a certain game. On another show, to collect on the bet, Smith brought out a donkey for Barkley to kiss .

In 2018, players from the Rockets, including the former Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, tried to approach the Clippers locker room after a tense game. The sideline reporter, Ros Gold-Onwude, said there was a police presence at the arena to make sure the incident didn’t escalate. By the end of her report, O’Neal and Barkley were laughing uncontrollably , while Smith and Johnson tried to calm them.

When he caught his breath, O’Neal imitated an imagined 911 call: “Hello, police? Chris Paul’s trying to beat me up.”

Barkley countered by referring to a Clippers player: “Hey, this is Blake Griffin. Chris Paul is trying to get into the locker room! Get down here and save me!”

The people working behind the scenes create cheeky graphics that often punctuate the on-air banter. Other times, writers’ and producers’ ideas became indelible parts of the show. The show is known around the league as a place where employees feel embraced by a family-like atmosphere.

“Inside the NBA” tackles serious issues, too. In 2014, for instance, after a white police officer who killed a Black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo., was not indicted, the show opened with a frank discussion about the situation .

And its influence among players is unquestioned. Dereck Lively, a rookie with the Dallas Mavericks, appeared on a segment this month because a player from the Oklahoma City Thunder had chased him all around the court as if they were playing a game of tag. Lively’s friends excitedly sent him the video.

“There’s not a lot of people who get to be in those moments,” he said.

A few days later, Lively’s teammate Daniel Gafford was a postgame guest on the show’s in-arena set. During the game he had roared and thumped his chest. On the “Inside the NBA” set, he smiled bashfully, even when Barkley called him by the wrong name.

“Excited to be on here with y’all,” Gafford said. “It’s a great honor.”

Barkley told Gafford that there were times during his own illustrious N.B.A. career when he would cry, wondering if he was actually any good at basketball. He asked Gafford if he had ever wondered that about himself. Gafford said he had.

If the show goes away, Lively said, the league will lose “one of the lighthearted but also one of the places where people aren’t afraid to say what they want to say.”

“All those four guys, everybody has a lot of respect for those four guys,” Lively continued. “Whenever they talk, people listen.”

He added: “To lose that connection, it’s going to hurt the league.”

When the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets to make it to the conference finals, Barkley told the Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards that he hadn’t been to Minnesota in decades. Edwards replied, “Bring ya ass,” creating a civic rallying cry for everyone from the local symphony orchestra to the governor of Minnesota.

“Inside the NBA” is typically filmed in a studio in Atlanta, but the show was on site at the Target Center for the Western Conference finals between the Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks.

As fans filtered into the arena in Minneapolis on Friday night, many found the set and waited for the stars to arrive. They held jerseys and signs just as they would for an N.B.A. team.

Karen Steele, 51, held up a hand-drawn sign that said, “We love Charles.” Her sister had bet her $50 she couldn’t get a photo with Barkley, so she was there to try.

“He’s real,” Steele said. When Edwards made his comment, “some people might not have responded well,” she added. “He responded great. Our city loves him. He was an incredible basketball player. He’s fun to watch.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, Barkley has been the most vocal about the future of the show.

This month, Barkley said he had a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave if TNT lost the N.B.A.

On a more recent appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Barkley excoriated Warner Bros. Discovery’s management. He never mentioned Zaslav, the chief executive, by name, but called the company’s leaders “clowns.”

“When we merged, that’s the first thing our boss said: ‘We don’t need the N.B.A.,’” Barkley said. “Well, he don’t need it. But the rest of the people, me, Kenny, Shaq and Ernie and the people who work there, we need it.”

The other “Inside the NBA” stars have been quieter.

Before the pregame show on Friday, O’Neal sat courtside and chatted with passers-by. Asked for an interview, he grinned and said, “We aren’t allowed to talk ever since Chuck’s outburst.” He might have been joking, though a public relations official with TNT said later that the cast had not been asked not to speak.

Approached for an interview, Johnson pointed me to the public relations team. TNT had declined to arrange interviews with its talent for this article. After the game, Johnson interrupted the interview with Barkley as he left the elevator to castigate me for approaching him without permission from the company.

Because TNT does not broadcast the N.B.A. finals, the show’s season will end after the Western Conference finals. Game 5 is Thursday night, with Dallas holding a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. “Inside the NBA” will return next season, but whether that will be its last remains to be seen.

“I love my job,” Barkley said. “Been working with these people for 24 years, we have a lot of fun together. And we’re hoping it continues. We’re hoping, but we have no control over it.”

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the timing of the interview with Charles Barkley. It was after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, not Game 3.

How we handle corrections

Tania Ganguli writes about money, power and influence in sports and how it impacts the broader culture. More about Tania Ganguli

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics..

The N.C.A.A.’s New Era: If a judge approves, a $2.8 billion settlement  would let colleges and universities pay athletes directly for the first time. How would it work ?

Bringing Back Reebok: Shaquille O’Neal pushed to be in charge of the company’s return to the hypercompetitive world of basketball sneakers. The Hall of Famer understands the stakes .

The Capital of Women’s Soccer: The success of Barcelona Femení has made the Spanish city, and the broader region of Catalonia, a laboratory for finding out what happens when the women’s game has prominence similar to the men’s .

A Minnesota Rallying Cry:  Fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves have picked up on a phrase  uttered by the team’s star, Anthony Edwards, and are hardly put off by its mild vulgarity.

A Beloved Manager:  A coach’s soccer legacy is often reduced to titles and trophies. In Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp will endure in murals, music and shared memories .