When a character is relaying another character’s direct words, you’ll have a quotation within the line of dialogue, which already has quotation marks. As a result, you would use double quotation marks as you normally would—around the entire line of dialogue—and use single quotation marks for the words the speaker is quoting. Show Let’s say Fred said, “I can’t keep it together anymore.” And let’s say Mary wants to repeat these exact words to a friend. That would look like this: “I’m not sure what to do. I heard Fred say, ‘I can’t keep it together anymore.’” Notice how the entire dialogue appears in double quotation marks and just Fred’s words appear in single quotation marks. This makes the end of the dialogue look a bit strange—there’s a single quotation mark followed immediately by a double quotation mark—but that’s how it works. You can also have a character summarize what another character said. That might go like this: “I’m not sure what to do. I heard Fred saying he’s not keeping it together anymore.” Download Article Download Article When you’re writing an essay, using a quote can help validate your argument and make your writing stronger. Whether your paper is required to be in MLA or APA format, it’s easy to quote and cite a book the right way.
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Thanks for submitting a tip for review! ReferencesAbout This ArticleArticle SummaryX If you want to use a quotation from a book when you’re writing an essay, try to work the quotation into the text as naturally as possible so it reads like a normal sentence. Connect the quote to the point you’re making by saying something like “Thoreau summed this up by saying…” or “Mark Twain once argued…” To make the quote as concise and relevant as possible, replace unnecessary passages with ellipses or use brackets to add or change words if necessary. For tips on citing your sources, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 463,832 times. Reader Success Stories
Did this article help you?How do you quote someone in a story?When a character is quoting someone else in dialogue, use quotation marks for the character's spoken words—as you normally would—and single quotation marks to indicate the other person's words.
When quoting a book Do you cite the character or author?The parenthetic citation is the author's name: (Lee 42).. The lead-in, once you're in the novel, is probably the character:. The Works Cited is of course the author's name: Lee, Harper.. If you are just getting into the book, you will include the title: In To Kill a Mockingbird, we meet Scout and Jeb.. Can I quote a person in my book?If you're going to quote someone's words, even if you appropriately attribute the quote to the rightful owner, you should have their permission. Many commonly cited authors don't mind having their famous lines reused, but some do, so tread carefully. Always get legal advice, or if in doubt, leave it out.
How do you cite a fictional character in MLA?If the title of a work contains the name of a fictional character, style the name as a name and the title as a title (that is, in italics or quotation marks): Emma Woodhouse is the heroine of Jane Austen's novel Emma.
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