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THE WRITE STUFF
Writing & Grammar Blog
 
DIANE HUGHES • NASHVILLE, TN
WRITER, EDITOR, CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL

Is 'quote' a verb or a noun? Or both?

6/6/2012

9 Comments

 
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One of my faithful blog readers (thanks, Rick!) recently wrote in to ask the following:

Is "quote" a verb? Must "quotation" always be used when referring to the actual words quoted?"

The answer to that question depends on whom you ask. This is one of those thorny language issues that grammarians do not agree on. Some linguists cry foul, because they view it a solecism to use quote as a noun. Here's my take:

Historical use: quote & quotation
While the word quote has been used as a verb (Can I quote you on that?) since the 1500s, my research indicates its use as a noun (I need a pithy quote for my newspaper story.) dates as far back as the late 1880s. Even though quote has become a colloquialism synonymous with quotation, some linguists insist that quotation is the only acceptable noun form. As a moderate descriptivist, I'm all for using quote as a noun. I believe that language evolves and, in most cases, we should not impede that evolution. 

What about rules?
I am not advocating that we throw out grammar and writing rules with reckless abandon (and don't even get me started on those "rules" that aren't really rules at all.) I am not saying that "anything goes" when it comes to language. In fact, I am a staunch supporter of adhering to the rules — the "real" rules. Some wordsmiths have suggested that we do away with the use of whom. I would argue that just because many of us don't know when to use whom instead of who is no reason to abandon a perfectly good word; we simply need to learn the difference between the two. (That's a post for another day.) 

Not all black & white
The more I study language and grammar, the more I realize there are many gray areas in the world of words. We may desire the comfort of rules to always tell us we've written (or spoken) something correctly, but the truth is that not everyone agrees on what's right and what's wrong. (Who would have thought grammar could be so much like politics and religion?) 

What to do?
So, dear reader, if you want to use quote as a noun, I say go for it. Just be advised that prescriptivists out there may correct you (and judge you). Of course, now you have a ready answer to refute their pedantic protestations. (Yes, I love alliteration.) And while you're at it, you might even want to split a few infinitives, start a sentence with a conjunction or end one with a preposition. Just please don't dangle any modifiers; that is a solecism up with which I will not put. 

What are your thoughts on using quote as a noun? Lively debate is welcome; incivility is not. Share your thoughts in the Comments below. If you have a writing, grammar or language question, please share it here for consideration on this blog.

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9 Comments
Rick
6/6/2012 10:15:46 am

Thank you. Well done, as always. I love the links to the terms, especially the one to the Merriam Webster site with the word games. I'll have to email you the joke about ending a sentence with a preposition (unless you heard Lewis Grizzard tell it in NY at the 1988 College Press Convention).

Reply
Diane Hughes link
6/6/2012 02:36:07 pm

Hope my answer helped, Rick. And I don't remember Grizzard's comment. Please share.

Reply
Adrian Docherty
7/9/2018 08:52:28 am

Haven't seen the joke, but surely the Churchill quote (!) is the best: "That is the sort of English, up with which I will not put"

Mike Neaves
10/20/2015 06:43:35 pm

To quote you " I would argue that just because many of us don't know when to use whom instead of who is no reason to abandon a perfectly good word;" - does that not hold good for quote/quotation. Just because people don't know the correct use as noun or verb is no reason to lie back and say it is just the language evolving. If you stick to "whom" you should stick to "quote" as the verb and "quotation" as the noun.

Reply
Grieg Steward
10/23/2018 01:36:22 pm

I agree with Mike. Inconsistent reasoning is applied to these two cases. It is also not clear what the author means by "Of course, now you have a ready answer to refute their pedantic protestations." What is that "ready answer"? That people have been making mistakes in grammar since the 1880s? That's a slippery slope! I also recognize that language evolves, however, and it is probably time to give up the battle on quote as a noun. Perhaps a better refutation is simply to point to its definition in current dictionaries.

Reply
Alison Judge
4/23/2016 01:59:55 pm

I have to say that I'm with Mike on this one. While language does indeed evolve, it should not do so at the expense of the rules of grammar or of correct classification of nouns and verbs.

Similarly, I refuse to use 'disconnect' to signify 'division', 'detachment', etc. Currently occupying top space in my naughty corner however is the use of 'ask' to signify 'a request'.

I am grateful to any posters who correct my own use of English and offer these comments in the same spirit, with warmest wishes to everyone on Shakespeare's 400th anniversary.

Reply
Harry Wolfe
8/18/2017 11:00:59 am

Thanks for your explanation on the history of using quote/quotation. The issue came up in my Toastmasters meeting. The grammarian for the meeting crtiticized a speaker for using quote as a noun. While there seems to be some flexibility here, it does appear that using quotation as the noun and quote as the verb makes sense.

Reply
SimonB
11/1/2021 04:37:22 am

I'm with several others here in that "first use" is not the same as "first correct use".

The fact that there is a record somewhere of someone getting their grammatical error into print does not mean it was correct then or is correct now.

Moreover, while there is a substantial cohort of people that still thinks it matters, then it matters. Communication, both written and spoken, is aimed at a recipient and if your intended audience might think you are poorly educated, sloppy or arrogant enough not to care what your audience thinks then that is not his problem, it's your problem especially if you are writing to a potential client or a potential employer.

So educate people properly. Education should be a leveller after all. Use quote as a noun among your friends or if style demands it if you wish but understand the rules so that you can modify your writing style when it might be important. If you don't understand the rules, you can't make the change.

Reply
Watsonville Pest Control link
9/7/2022 12:06:58 am

Good reading thhis post

Reply



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    DIANE HUGHES

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