quote
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to repeat the exact words that someone else said or wrote.
v.to repeat or copy out a passage from a text or a statement by a person, typically with an acknowledgement of the source.
Simple“The journalist decided to quote the president's speech in her article.”
In context“The professor cautioned the students to quote their sources accurately to avoid any accusations of academic dishonesty.”
UsageOften takes a direct object or is followed by a 'that' clause.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to tell someone how much a piece of work will cost before you start.
v.to state a fixed price for a specific task or service to be provided.
Simple“The mechanic quoted me three hundred dollars to fix the car's brakes.”
In context“The contractor quoted a competitive rate for the renovation, including the cost of all raw materials and labour.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a sentence or phrase that is taken from a book or speech and repeated.
n.a passage or expression that is cited or repeated.
Simple“My favourite quote is from a famous poem about the sea.”
In context“The author opened every chapter with an inspirational quote from a different classical philosopher.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a document or statement that shows how much a job will cost.
n.a formal statement setting out the estimated cost for a particular job or service.
Simple“We asked three different companies for a quote before choosing a builder.”
In context“After reviewing the initial quote, the board requested a more detailed breakdown of the projected expenses.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.the marks (" ") used around words to show that someone is speaking.
n.a shortened form of 'quotation mark'; the symbols used to enclose direct speech or a cited text.
Simple“You need to put quotes around the dialogue in your story.”
In context“The editor noted that the writer had used single quotes instead of double quotes for the protagonist's internal monologue.”
Teacher's tipIn British English, these are more formally known as 'inverted commas'.
Synonymsinverted commas - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
interj.a word you say out loud to show you are about to repeat someone's exact words.
interj.used in spoken English to signal the beginning of a direct quotation.
Simple“He said, quote, 'I will never go back there again,' and walked away.”
In context“The speaker began by saying, quote, 'The future belongs to those who prepare for it today,' unquote.”
UsageOften paired with 'unquote' to mark the end of the cited speech.
Usage following quote
From Middle English quoten, coten (“to mark (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references”), from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotāre (“to distinguish by numbers, number chapters”), itself from Latin quotus (“which, what number (in sequence)”), from quot (“how many”) and related to quis (“who”). The sense developed via “to give as a reference, to cite as an authority” to “to copy out exact words” (since 1680); the business sense “to state the price of a commodity” (1866) revives the etymological meaning. The noun, in the sense of “quotation,” is attested from 1885; see also usage note, below.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.