QUOTES (7.8.14 added content from SOTG archive)
• Every quote needs attribution. Just mentioning someone in the previous sentence doesn’t suffice.
incorrect: Sandra loves living so close to the water. “You just roll out of bed, and there’s the beach.”
correct: Sandra loves living so close to the water. “You just roll out of bed, and there’s the beach,” she says.
• When attribution comes before a quote, use a comma to introduce a single sentence and a colon to introduce multiple sentences.
correct: Chris says, “Breakfast is a treat with the sunlight streaming in.”
correct: Chris says: “Breakfast is a treat with the sunlight streaming in. Even on the coldest mornings, our breakfast nook is bright and cheery. No one wants to leave the table.”
• When your quote consists of more than one sentence, try to avoid waiting until the end for attribution.
acceptable: ”Breakfast is a treat with the sunlight streaming in. Even on the coldest mornings, our breakfast nook is bright and cheery. No one wants to leave the table,” Chris says.
preferred: ”Breakfast is a treat with the sunlight streaming in,” Chris says. “Even on the coldest mornings, our breakfast nook is bright and cheery. No one wants to leave the table.”
• Don’t combine full and partial quotes. Use attribution or some other transition to separate them, or paraphrase the partial quote.
incorrect: Sergei calls the new pool and deck area “a resort in our own backyard. We don’t even need to leave home to feel like we’re on vacation.”
correct: Sergei considers the new pool and deck area a backyard resort. “We don’t even need to leave home to feel like we’re on vacation,” he says.
correct: The new pool and deck area is “a resort in our own backyard,” Sergei says. “We don’t even need to leave home to feel like we’re on vacation.”
Using “says.”
• In general, attribute quotes with “says,” which should follow the person’s name unless a long identifier follows and makes this awkward.
“We love spending time in the sunroom,” Phil says.
“My mother cried when she walked into this house,” homeowner Lisa Burgess says.
“Garden clubs should consist of couples because they are gardening together,” says Clyde
Thompson, past president of the Men’s Garden Club in Minneapolis.
• No one laughs words. If you need to mention laughter, find another way.
incorrect: “I gave up and got carpet the same color as the dog’s fur,” she laughs.
correct: “I gave up and got carpet the same color as the dog’s fur,” she says, laughing.
correct: ”I gave up and got carpet the same color as the dog’s fur,” she says with a laugh.
BH&G occasionally uses attributions other than “says” for voice. That is OK but try to limit the occurrences. (added 2/11/21)
Anonymous sources
Direct quotes from anonymous sources (including unidentified homeowners) should not be used. Paraphrase instead.
Thoughts
In direct quotes, put thoughts in an opposite typeface.
“The place was a mess,” Jane says. “I asked myself, How will we ever feel at home here?”
PULL QUOTES (7.8.14 added content from SOTG archive)
• All direct quotes used as pullouts must be attributed. If you cannot include attribution for design reasons, paraphrase the quote into third person.
• All attributions should be treated the same way throughout an issue.
If the attribution is grammatically separate from the quote, full identification (including professional title or homeowner status) must follow the first usage in a pull quote. On subsequent references, the same speaker may be identified by full name only.
correct first reference:
“The old beams give the new space a sense of history.”
—kitchen designer Susan Serra
correct second reference:
“We wanted to honor the home’s past.”
—Susan Serra
If attribution is grammatically part of the quote, the speaker must be identified fully in the first usage and may be identified by only a first or last name, as appropriate, on subsequent references.
correct first reference:
“Old beams give the new space a sense of history,” kitchen designer Susan Serra says.
correct second reference:
“Fine details create new interest with an old-world charm,” Serra says.
Also see the Credits: Names section of the BHGStylebook.
To set smart quotes (curly quotation marks) as your default, see the InDesign Tip in Style on the Go, Issue 111.