Word Confusion: Quotation versus Quote

Posted November 12, 2020 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
25 Sept 2022

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I became curious about the differences between quotation and quote. It turns out it’s another case of formal writing versus casual.

A quotation is quoted material (or a price). If this is an informal bit of writing, you can refer to it as a quote. Just don’t use it in business writing or when you’re trying to impress someone.

A quote is frequently used to mean quotation, but using quote in this respect is not acceptable in more formal writing. Think of quote as a verb ONLY.

To quote Shakespeare, from The Merchant of Venice, “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come”.

You may want to explore the Properly Punctuated posts “Quotation Marks” or “The Silent Comedian, or When Quotes = Sarcasm“.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Quotation	Quote
This quotation, Kick the Earth by Free Images Guide, is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.	Quotation from Confucius by Piotr Siedlecki is under the CC0 license, via PublicDomainPictures.net. — Antsy quotes Confucius.
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: quotations	Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: quotes Gerund: quoting Third person present verb: quotes Past tense or past participle: quoted Present participle: quoting
A group of words taken from a text or speech and repeated by someone other than the original author or speaker A short musical passage or visual image taken from one piece of music or work of art and used in another The action of quoting from a text, speech, piece of music, or work of art A formal statement setting out the estimated cost for a particular job or service [Stock market] A price offered by a broker for the sale or purchase of a stock or other security [Stock market] A registration granted to a company enabling their shares to be officially listed and traded	Noun: A quotation from a text or speech A quotation giving the estimated cost for a particular job or service [Stock market] A price offered by a broker for the sale or purchase of a stock or other security [Stock market] A quotation or listing of a company on a stock exchange [quotes] Quotation marks Verb, intransitive: Repeat or copy out (a group of words from a text or speech), typically with an indication that one is not the original author or speaker Used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of a quotation Verb, transitive: Repeat or copy out (a group of words from a text or speech), typically with an indication that one is not the original author or speaker Repeat a passage from a work or author or statement by someone Mention or refer to (someone or something) to provide evidence or authority for a statement, argument, or opinion [quote someone, quote something as] Put forward or describe someone or something as being To enclose (words) within quotation marks Give someone (the estimated price of a job or service) [Stock market] Give (a company) a quotation or listing on a stock exchange
Examples:
He used this quotation from Mark Twain. He really knows his biblical quotations. It was a quotation from Bartók’s Fourth String Quartet. He made a great argument with much quotation of Darwin. You will be sent a written quotation for the cost of repairing your machine. In 2005 the company withdrew its shares from public quotation. The company is being refused a quotation on the New York Stock Exchange.	Noun: It was a quote from Wordsworth. We need quotes from different insurance companies. Quotes for North Sea Brent were rising. Use double quotes around precise phrases you wish to search for. The second sentence says, quote, there has never been a better time to invest in the commodities market, unquote. The brochure describes the view as, quote, unquote, unforgettably breathtaking. Verb, intransitive: When we told her this she said, and I quote, “Phooey!” “If they’re flexible, we’re flexible,” the official was quoted as saying. And he quoted, “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” She claimed to be quoting from an official report. “The stream mysterious glides beneath,” Melinda quoted. Verb, transitive: He quoted a passage from the Psalms. The prime minister was quoted as saying that he would resist all attempts to “sabotage” his government. He quoted Shakespeare, Goethe, and other poets. They won’t be here at all in three years time — you can quote me on that. Heavy teaching loads are often quoted as a bad influence on research. The agent quoted him a fare of $180. It’s an organization that is quoted on the Stock Exchange.
Derivatives:
Noun: prequotation, self-quotation	Adjective: quote-driven Noun: quoter Verb, transitive: outquote, outquoted, outquoting, prequote, prequoted, prequoting, requote, requoted, requoting
History of the Word:
Mid-16th century, denoting a marginal reference to a passage of text, from the medieval Latin quotatio(n-), from the verb quotare.	Late Middle English from the medieval Latin quotare, which is from quot meaning how many, or from the medieval Latin quota, the feminine of quotus from quot meaning how many. The original sense was mark a book with numbers, or with marginal references, later give a reference by page or chapter, hence cite a text or person (late 16th century).

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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