Yagoda's Rules for Quotes
All you need to know to render quotations like a pro!
A direct quote is the material presented inside of quotation marks. It tells the reader that these are the exact words a speaker said. As long as the source is qualified to speak about the subject, a quote is a good—probably the best—way to get opinionated, emotional, metaphorical, personal, ungrammatical, hyperbolic, and generally colorful language into your story.
In newspaper writing, quotes should be short: one or two sentences in a news story, only slightly longer in a feature. Generally speaking, readers will expect a quote before the fifth paragraph of a story, if not earlier. Readers' subliminal red flags go up if there are too many quotes, or not enough.
Before you start to use quotation marks, it is essential to understand that in all circumstances (except in the United Kingdom and certain countries that were formerly in the British Empire), commas and periods always go INSIDE quotation marks. Also, single quotes ('like this') are NEVER used, except to indicate a quote within a quote (see below).
Standard form:
“That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard,” Jones said. (or “he said”) Note: comma rather than period after “heard.” Note also use of past tense "said." Often, in feature and magazine writers use the present tense ("says"). This is a matter to be discussed with your editor, but it's essential to be consistent.
Quotes of two or more sentences:
“That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard,” Jones said. “It’s mind-boggling. More sentences can follow.”
Note: attribution comes after first sentence.
Wrong: “That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. It’s mind-boggling,” Jones said.
When speaker needs to be identified or described:
“That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard,” said Alex Jones, a journalism professor. (The New Yorker magazine would write: "'That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard,' Alex Jones, a journalism professor, said." That is why the New Yorker gets made fun of.)
Especially when identification of the speaker is lengthy, attribution can come before the quote:
Jones, a journalism professor, said, “That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.” Note: uppercase “T” in “That.”
Occasionally, a long or dramatic quote is preceded by a colon rather than a comma, as in:
Smith said: “I deplore everything the president stands for.”
Avoid “orphan” quotes by telling readers who uttered them.
Wrong: Sophomore Bill Kent thought the film wasn’t Tarantino’s best work. “It sucked.”
Right: Sophomore Bill Kent thought the film wasn’t Tarantino’s best work. “It sucked,” he said.
(Note: this rule, like some of the others, can be bent in feature and magazine writing.)
If you are using a relatively long quote, or want to emphasize a short one, it often makes sense to give the quote its own paragraph.
Sophomore Bill Kent thought the film wasn’t Tarantino’s best work
“It sucked,” he said.
Partial quotes are quotes of less than a complete clause or sentence. Use them sparingly (no more than two or three per story), and mainly for vivid words and phrases):
Jones described the proposal as “mind-boggling.” Note: No comma before the partial quote.
Wrong: Jones said it was, “mind-boggling.”
An indirect quote is a paraphrase or summary of what someone said. It is not surrounded by quotation marks, and therefore you are not indicating that the person used those exact words (though the person may well have done so). Indirect quotes are used to convey purely factual information that would not lose anything if expressed in “journalistic” language.
Poor use of direct quotes: “The university will be closed tomorrow," Jones said.
Preferable: The university will be closed tomorrow, Jones said.
Or: Jones said the university will be closed tomorrow. [Note: no comma after “said,” and absence of word "that" after said. "That” should not be used before an indirect quote unless it's needed to prevent ambiguity or confusion. For example, "Martin said that nothing will be done." Without the "that," the reader may temporarily think we are being told that Martin said nothing.]
Quote within a quote:
“The guy said to me, ‘Your money or your life,’” Jones recalled. [Hint: people tend to naturally be good storytellers, so when your source says what someone ELSE says, that's often a sign that this is a good quote.]
Attribution in middle of sentence can be used sparingly,nd only at natural pauses: “I did every assignment,” he said, “except for the term paper.”
Wrong: “I did every assignment except,” he said, “for the term paper.”
Brackets [] are used within quotes to indicate a word that was not said by the speaker. Avoid them at all costs; they are clunky and ruin quotes. Almost all of the time, you can tell the reader what you would have put into brackets by taking the time and effort to set up the quote.
Consider that the brackets do to this quote:
“Arnold [Schwarzenegger] is a wuss,” said Bustamante.
Instead, write something like:
Bustamante made it clear that for him, Schwarzenegger’s tough-guy image is all hype. “Arnold is a wuss,” he said.
Also avoid ellipses […] to indicate you are leaving out material.
If the transcript of your interview has Bustamente saying, “Arnold is, you know, a wuss,” you don’t need to write it: “Arnold is … a wuss.” It is okay to leave obviously extraneous material out of a quote. It is not okay, however, to string together two sentences someone made five minutes apart into one quote. If you want to use them both, make two separate quotes. It is also not okay to include in a direct quote any word the quoted person didn’t actually say.
[Note: when quoting from written material, it is necessary to use ellipses to indicate elided material.]
Also avoid:
Verbs of attribution other than “said” (e.g., claimed, stated, asserted, gasped, admitted, gasped, smiled, quipped, remarked, etc.). “Asked,” “replied” and “recalled” are okay when appropriate in the context.
Quotes almost always have to be “set up” by a sentence in your own words that introduces the idea of the quote without being too similar too it.
Too similar:
Coach Maurice Cheeks said the 76ers have a considerable distance to travel in order to be a playoff contender.
“This team has a long way to go,” he said.
Set-up doesn’t do enough:
Coach Maurice Cheeks had some comments about the 76ers.
“This team has a long way to go,” he said.
Just right:
Coach Maurice Cheeks made it clear he wasn’t completely satisfied with the 76ers.
“This team has a long way to go,” he said.
Two quotes can’t come right after each other. Instead they must be separated by material from you, the writer.
Wrong:
“This has been the most beautiful autumn ever,” said Kelly Jones, a sophomore.
“I love it when the leaves change color,” said sophomore Audrey Martin.
Better:
“This has been the most beautiful autumn ever,” said Kelly Jones, a freshman.
Sophomore Audrey Martin agreed. “I love it when the leaves change color,” she said.