How to Quote a Quote Properly in American & British English • 7ESL

Contents

How to quote a quote properly! The English language has unique rules to make writing simple and fun. Although there are rules, in several cases the rules can become confusing and hard to understand. Through this topic, we will explain what a quote is in American and British English, and how to properly use it.

How to Quote a Quote Properly

How to Quote a Quote in American English

In American English, we use different styles of quotes and citations when citing a source correctly. We begin with our first style, which is APA Formatting. In this style, to cite a quote the writer will need to include the author’s last name, publishing year, and provided page number within a set of parenthesis. This is is what you call parenthetical citation.

Another style used to quote a quote is MLA Formatting. This particular formatting focuses on the author’s last name and page number only. Both APA and MLA formatting is similar, except for indicating the page number and the year of publication of the article or quote.

The final style used for quoting a quote is Chicago Formatting. Chicago formatting uses less than 100 words within the text itself, use quotation marks within the quote itself, and includes page references within parenthesis after the quote.

This style is highly flexible when writing a research paper or essay. The major difference between this and the APA and MLA formatting is using the footnotes to create the references within the work itself.

How to Quote a Quote in British English

In this portion, we are going to discuss the British English style of quoting, and how to use it properly. In case you’re writing a British English paper and needing a clear understanding on how to quote your subjects appropriately and accordingly, this is meant to be read with an open mind.

The British use a single quote for initiating quotations, ending with double-quotes. Additionally, by using the British style of quoting, you will place unquoted periods and commas outside the quotation marks (unless the punctuation is part of the sentence or quote).

Tips to Properly Write Quotes

There’s always room for improvement with writing and grammar. In regards to using quotations, if you’re writing a long paragraph that is quoted, place the quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph. Once your quote is complete, place one at the end of the final paragraph. This helps the reader understand that this is a lengthy dialogue and helps the writer stay focused on the content.

The most adapted style of writing is American English. Usually, when writing American English, authors would use commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points inside the quotation marks. However, if the author is questioning the quote, the question mark will be placed after the quotations.

Sometimes when writing titles on poems, books, articles, or short stories, quotations are used. It is grammatically acceptable to quote an article title or a book in your writing with quotation marks around it. This practice provides an easier way for the reader to understand your resources and create a general practice of in-text citation.