“He said, She said”All about Quotes

Beginning Journalism

Qualities of a good, dance on the table quote:

• An important person said it

• It is a unique statement

• It is an ordinary statement phrased in a unique manner

Attributing quotes

• All quotes need to be attributed to the source. (no floating quotes)

• WRONG: “That was a fantastic performance.”

• RIGHT: “That was a fantastic performance,” junior Sally Smith said.

Placement

• Attribution should occur at the end of the quote or in the middle, not at the beginning.

• WRONG: He said, “I hope we are having tacos for lunch today.”

• RIGHT: “I hope we are having tacos for lunch today,” he said.

More Placement

• For long quotes, the attribution should be in the middle, in a logical place.EXAMPLE: “Since the Minnesota Twins have never lost a World Series game in the Metrodome, I think their stadium should be torn down,” senior Jack Jones said. “The magic of the dome should be preserved.”

Punctuation

• Punctuation ALWAYS goes INSIDE the quote marks.

• EXAMPLE: “I wish everybody could drop seminar,” junior Sarah Stevens said.

Punctuation

• Start a new paragraph for each quote.

• Quotes stand alone.

Verb for Attribution

• Always use said with a quote. • In RARE cases, it may be appropriate

to include how it was said (he said with a grin), but most of the time, it is not.

• Avoid descriptive attribution —exclaimed, shouted, whispered, snarled, quipped, explained, shared…they imply bias and are cheesy.

Verb for Attribution

• Said always goes after the sources name.

• People are more important than verbs.

Attribution exception

• Use “according to” when referring to previously printed material.

• Ex:• According to The Kansas City

Star…

Attribution

• Never refer to the interview in the attribution.

• NO• When asked…• In reference to the question…

Source Names

• Sources should always be identified. • Use the full name of the source first,

then use the last name for all other references.

• EXAMPLE: Junior Sara Smith thinks the policy is bogus.

“It’s so dumb. The teachers are just trying make fools out of us,” Smith said.

Even more attribution rules

• Use year in school to identify students,• Include a special title (student body

president, quarterback, etc.) if they have one.

• DO NOT capitalize those grades.

• EXAMPLES:sophomore Sara Smithjunior French Club president Sally Smithfreshman point guard J.J. Jumpersenior class president Carolyn Gatewood

Even more attribution rules

• Identify teachers by subject or organization but not both.

• Avoid courtesy titles—no Mr., Ms., Miss or Mrs. You may use Dr. when appropriate.

• EXAMPLE:English teacher Justin Bogart OR head

basketball coach Justin Bogartprincipal Dr. Joe Gilhaussocial studies teacher Scott Hirons

Even more attribution rules

• Do not quote inanimate objects or organizations. Attribute it to a person.

• WRONG: He dropped out when he

was 17, according to the school. • RIGHT: He dropped out when he was

17, according to principal Dr. Joe Novak.

Even more attribution rules

• Avoid stacking quotes.• “I love vanilla ice cream,” she said.• “I love chocolate ice cream,” he

said.

• This is lazy reporting. You haven’t gotten enough facts.

Even more attribution rules

• Do not capitalize the names of grades or titles unless they are start the sentence.

• WRONG:“That was so gross,” Junior Ed Smith said.• RIGHT:“It’s up to the students,” sophomore Silly

Student said.

Common Errors

• If you don’t know the name or title, DO NOT MAKE IT UP. EVER. Making anything up is bad, no matter what.

• Comma goes inside the quotation marks.

• Name and title BEFORE said.• Use this style always: “Quote,” title + name said.