How to Write a Quote

To write a quote, put the speaker’s exact words inside double quotation marks and attach them to an attribution that says who said them. When the attribution comes first, follow it with a comma: She said, “The results surprised everyone.” When it comes after, replace the quote’s period with a comma inside the quotation marks: “The results surprised everyone,” she said. That comma placement, plus keeping the words exact, is what most people get wrong. Below are the rules for punctuating, capitalizing, and attributing a direct quote correctly.

Quotation marks and exact wording

A direct quote reproduces someone’s words exactly, so it goes in double quotation marks and must match the original. Do not paraphrase inside quotation marks, and do not fix the speaker’s grammar; if a word is wrong in the original and you want to show it was theirs, add [sic] after it. If you need to leave words out, mark the gap with an ellipsis (…); if you add a word for clarity, put it in square brackets. The difference between quoting exactly and restating in your own words is laid out in direct quotes.

Where the comma goes

Attribution is the “she said” part. Its position decides the punctuation.

• Attribution first: comma after it, then the quote. The coach said, “We earned this.”
• Attribution last: comma inside the closing quotation mark, then the attribution and a period. “We earned this,” the coach said.
• Attribution in the middle: close the quote, comma, attribution, comma, reopen the quote. “We earned this,” the coach said, “and no one can take it away.”

In American English, commas and periods always go inside the closing quotation mark. Question marks and exclamation points go inside only if they belong to the quote itself.

Capitalization

Capitalize the first word of a quotation when it is a full sentence: He replied, “Nobody expected that.” Do not capitalize it when the quoted fragment flows into your own sentence: The report called the plan “a gamble worth taking.” If you interrupt a single quoted sentence with an attribution, the part after the interruption stays lowercase, because it is still the middle of one sentence.

Longer quotes: colons and block quotes

When you introduce a quotation with a full sentence of your own, you can use a colon instead of a comma: The memo was blunt: “No exceptions will be made.” A colon is also standard before a quotation of two or more sentences. When a quotation runs long, roughly four typed lines in MLA or forty words in APA, set it as a block quote: start it on a new line, indent it, and drop the quotation marks, since the indentation now marks it as quoted. The formatting details are in how to properly quote.

Introduce the quote, don’t drop it

A quotation should connect to your own words rather than stand alone as an orphan sentence. A signal phrase does this: As the study notes, “…” or Ng argues that “…” The signal phrase names the source and controls the punctuation that follows. A menu of these lead-ins is in how to introduce a quote.

Quotes inside quotes

If the words you are quoting already contain a quotation, switch the inner one to single quotation marks: She wrote, “The sign read ‘Closed until spring,’ so we turned back.” This keeps the reader from losing track of where one quote ends and the other begins. In an academic essay, a direct quote also needs a citation after it; the exact placement in MLA and APA is covered in how to write a quote in an essay.

FAQ

Comma or colon before a quote?

Use a comma when the attribution is a simple “she said” tag: She said, “…” Use a colon when a full sentence of your own introduces the quote, or when the quotation is two or more sentences: The rule was clear: “…”

Does the period go inside or outside the quotation marks?

Inside, in American English. Both periods and commas sit inside the closing quotation mark. Question marks and exclamation points go inside only when they are part of the quoted words themselves.

Do I capitalize the first word of a quote?

Capitalize it when the quote is a complete sentence. Leave it lowercase when the quoted words are a fragment folded into your own sentence, or when they continue a sentence interrupted by an attribution.

How do I show I changed or cut words in a quote?

Use an ellipsis (…) for words you remove and square brackets for words you add or change for clarity. Use [sic] to show an error was in the original. The goal is to signal every edit so the reader knows what is the source’s and what is yours.