Quotations can decorate the text, confirming or revealing the idea expressed by the author more widely, therefore, probably, they are willingly used in journalism and in scientific works. But sometimes introducing citations into the text can be difficult in terms of punctuation.
In this article, we will try to recall the rules for quoting with different ways to include them in the text. Recall which punctuation to use in this case, as well as ways to highlight some words in the quoted passage.
What is a quote: example
A quote is a verbatim reproduction of what was said, while it is inextricably linked in meaning to the text where this passage is included.
Old age is, first of all, the experience accumulated during life. As the great Faina Ranevskaya once said: “Memories are the wealth of old age.”
The combination of several passages from different places of the work in one quote is not allowed. They should be made out as different quotes. A mandatory requirement is the presence of an indication of its source.
If the place you cite does not start from the beginning of the original sentence, then the ellipsis is placed in the quote. In place of all the missing words in the passage, this sign is also put.
“... A smart person knows how to get out of a difficult situation, but a wise person never gets into it,” Ranevskaya emphasized.
As indicated by the author or source of the quoted passage
In this article we will not talk about how the bibliographic footnote is drawn up, but we will discuss the ways in which the author or source of the cited is indicated. Good manners require you to do this every time you use someone else’s thought.
So, if you want to put the link to the source or the mention of the author’s surname immediately after the quote, then they are usually enclosed in brackets.
“Incompetent people have a tendency to unambiguous and categorical conclusions” (David Dunning).
Please note that the dot after the quote is not put in this version, it is put only after the link! By the way, if the first word in brackets indicating the source is not a proper name, then it is written with a small letter.
“Incompetent people have a tendency to unambiguous and categorical conclusions” (from an article by psychologist David Dunning).
If the design of citations in the text requires the author’s name or source to be put on a different line, they are already written without brackets and other punctuation marks. And after the quote itself, a period or any necessary sign is put.
Incompetent people have a tendency to unambiguous and categorical conclusions.
David dunning
The same rule applies to epigraphs.
Highlights inside quotes
If the passage cited as a quotation contains authorial selections, they are stored in the same form as in the original source. The design of quotes does not require special emphasis that these marks belong to the author. In cases where the citing person wants to highlight something, he must make a corresponding footnote. To do this, indicate in brackets: “italics mine” or “emphasized by me” - and put the initials.
A. Startsev spoke of the writer O. Henry: “Endowed by nature with a rare gift to see the fun ... he faced a tragic in life ... but in most cases he preferred to remain silent about it (my italics - II).”
The author sets the initials in the case when there is a need to additionally introduce explanations in the citation.
“The literary tradition that united their names (Gogol and Ostrovsky - II) is significant. After all, Ostrovsky was initially perceived as a direct successor to Gogol’s business ... "
The ways in which quotes are introduced into context
Quotations can be introduced into the sentence as a direct speech. In these cases, the punctuation marks in Russian are put in the same way as when highlighting direct speech.
I. Zakharov emphasizes: “Ranevskaya issued cruel determinations to others, resembling court decisions. But she didn’t spare herself either. ”
In cases where the quote should be separated by the words of the author, it looks like this:
“His Majesty remains absolutely sure,” A.S. Pushkin A.Kh. Benckendorf - that you will use your excellent abilities to transmit to the posterity the glories of our Fatherland ... "
If the quote is an addendum, or if it is included in the subordinate part of a complex sentence, then no signs are placed except quotation marks, and the quote itself begins with a small letter, even if it was written in capital with a capital:
At one time, the philosopher J. Locke said that "there is nothing in the intellect, which would not be in the feeling."
Punctuation marks at the end of the quote.
Separately, you need to consider the design of the quote on the letter in situations where it is necessary to determine the punctuation marks at the end of it - before and after quotation marks.
- If the quoted phrase ends with an ellipsis, a question or exclamation mark, then they are placed in front of quotation marks:
Katherine Hepburn exclaimed: “By obeying all the rules, you deprive yourself of many pleasures!”
- And in a situation when there are no signs in front of quotation marks, a period is put at the end of the sentence, but only after them:
Ranevskaya lamented: "85 years in diabetes is not sugar."
- If the quote is part of the subordinate clause, then the dot after the quotation marks should be put, even if they already have an exclamation point, a question mark, or an ellipsis in front of them:
Marlene Dietrich rightly believed that "tenderness is a better proof of love than the most passionate oaths ...".
Lowercase or uppercase letter at the beginning of the quote?
If the quote is placed after the colon, then you need to pay attention to what letter it began in the original source. If with a lowercase letter, then the quote is written with a small one, only an ellipsis is placed before the text:
Describing A.S. Pushkin, I.A. Goncharov emphasized: "... in the gestures that accompanied his speech was the restraint of a secular, well-mannered person."
If the cited passage begins with a capital letter, then the design of quotations occurs in the same way as in direct speech - with a capital letter after the colon.
V. Lakshin wrote about A.N. Ostrovsky: “A lot continues to sound in these plays with lively fun and pain, responding in our soul.”
Some more nuances of notation quotes
And how to designate a quote if you want to give only one word or phrase? In such cases, the quoted word is enclosed in quotation marks and is entered in the sentence with a small letter:
V. Lakshin emphasized that the faces in Ostrovsky's comedies are historically accurate and "ethnographically vivid."
In situations where the source of the quotation is not freely available (there is no translation into Russian or is this a rare edition), then when quoting, you should indicate: “cit. by".
Is it possible to change something in the quoted passage
Making quotes requires not only compliance with the rules of punctuation, but also the correct attitude to the quoted text. On the part of the author of the article in which these passages are given, only a few deviations from their initial state are allowed:
- the use of modern spelling and punctuation, if the manner of writing and the arrangement of characters is not a sign of the individual style of the author;
- restoration of abbreviated words, but with the obligatory conclusion of the appended part in square brackets, for example, sv-in - sv [ost] in;
- the design of quotations also allows the passage of individual words in them, with the designation of the place of omission by ellipsis, if this does not distort the general meaning of the passage;
- when individual phrases or words are included, their case can be changed so as not to violate the syntactic structure of the phrase in which they are included.
If the author needs to further express his attitude to the quoted passage or some of his words, he usually puts after them a question mark or exclamation point enclosed in parentheses.
Not only punctuation marks in Russian should serve to transmit quotes
For a writer who writes a scientific or literary work, a quote is a convincing and economical technique that allows the reader to present the facts, generalize them, and, of course, confirm his idea by referring to authoritative sources.
In unscientific texts, quotation is often a means of emotional impact. But we must not forget that the passage quoted must be conveyed accurately. Indeed, even in the definition of “quote”, it is emphasized that this is a verbatim passage of an excerpt from a text. And from this it follows that not only the text itself, but also the punctuation marks that the author has, as well as the selections that he has, should be reproduced without distortion.
And this can equally be attributed to both official documents and emotional extracts from fiction. Just remembering this, you can fully understand what a quote is. An example of respect for the cited material is, first of all, respect for the author who wrote the lines quoted by you.