# Altering text in quote tags **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 21, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690 "2017-01-21T04:48:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/1 "2017-01-21T04:48:01Z")
Is it OK to alter someone’s post to just say […]? Is it OK everywhere on the Board, just in the Pit, or nowhere? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/2 "2017-01-21T04:51:40Z")
You _know_ the mods will want a link. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/3 "2017-01-21T05:12:32Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Is it OK to alter someone’s post to just say […]? > > Is it OK everywhere on the Board, just in the Pit, or nowhere? It’s a common practice on the boards to delete the entirety of a post and reduce it to the ellipses. It’s a way to indicate who you are replying to without quoting any particular portion of their post. I wont speak for other forums, but this is no problem in Great Debates or Elections. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/4 "2017-01-21T05:33:01Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > It’s a common practice on the boards to delete the entirety of a post and reduce it to the ellipses. It’s a way to indicate who you are replying to without quoting any particular portion of their post. I wont speak for other forums, but this is no problem in Great Debates or Elections. OK, thanks for your input. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/5 "2017-01-21T05:40:49Z")
I often snip out part of a long quote when I just want to reply to a specific part of it - but I always uses … or “\” or something similar. Not trying to alter the meaning of the quoted text, which would be a big no-no, but just focusing in on the key point and not requiring everyone to re-read a long post. i’ve always assumed that approach is okay, provided it doesn’t alter the meaning of the quoted passage? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/6 "2017-01-21T07:16:59Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > … You’re probably right. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/7 "2017-01-21T09:45:33Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > i’ve always assumed that approach is okay, provided it doesn’t alter the meaning of the quoted passage? Yep, perfectly fine. Where people have gotten themselves in trouble is when they snip out bits and leave behind something that changes the meaning of their original quote. As long as you don’t alter its meaning, you’re good. From the FAQ: [QUOTE] Text inside [QUOTE] tags is sacrosanct. Normal editorial rules apply: that is, you may indicate omitted portions of a quote by the use of ellipses “…” and you may add text to clarify a word using square brackets (e.g., “her [the sister’s] friend”), but you may \*\*not \*\* add editorial comments or edit a quote so as to change the substantive meaning; nor may you substitute text such as “some blather” or “more nonsense” inside the > [@](#): > > tags. > **[FAQ - Rules for Posting at the Straight Dope Message Boards](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384736)** > > This thread lists the Rules for posting on the SDMB. These are the Major Rules and the Important Ones: violations have serious consequences. First, be sure to read the Registration Agreement This post is basically a “table of contents” for this... If you want to use \ or \ or something similar, that’s fine too, as long as it’s clear what you’ve done. If you are quoting one section of text with nothing removed from the middle of it, you can also just quote that part, as I have done with your post in this reply. If you remove something from the middle though, you need to clearly indicate that you have done so. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/8 "2017-01-21T12:15:46Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > . . . TL;DR ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/9 "2017-01-21T14:55:31Z")
I have on occasion bolded or italicized some part of a quoted portion that I wanted to focus on-is that kosher? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/10 "2017-01-21T16:44:44Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I have on occasion bolded or italicized some part of a quoted portion that I wanted to focus on-is that kosher? Always has been. You just want to be sure that the meat of the quote has been drained of blood. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/11 "2017-01-21T18:25:44Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I have on occasion bolded or italicized some part of a quoted portion that I wanted to focus on-is that kosher? > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Always has been. You just want to be sure that the meat of the quote has been drained of blood. It’s also best to note: Emphasis added. And don’t go mixing italics with bold. Not Kosher!! Every time someone does that, I have to bury my laptop in my backyard for 10 years before I can use it again. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/12 "2017-01-21T20:25:05Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > It’s a common practice on the boards to delete the entirety of a post and reduce it to the ellipses. > > … > > I wont speak for other forums, but this is no problem in Great Debates or Elections. OK? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/13 "2017-01-21T20:32:51Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] . . . [/QUOTE] Cite? Regards, … ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/14 "2017-01-21T20:51:50Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > OK? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/altering-text-in-quote-tags/777690/15 "2017-01-21T20:56:12Z")
I was told otherwise once by a mod…though there were extenuating circumstances…maybe I used the wrong number of elispsisseesss…“content” free quotations got me in trouble with the man…even though there was a point behind it…and the mod had trouble reading time stamps…