# Re-writing someone's post - against the rules?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-writing-someones-post-against-the-rules/590685>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 29, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-writing-someones-post-against-the-rules/590685 "2011-07-29T01:16:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 7

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-writing-someones-post-against-the-rules/590685/7 "2011-07-29T16:00:01Z")

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> [@BigT](#):
>
> Here’s a question I’ve been wondering: If I clearly indicate that I’m modifying it, is it okay to use an attribution-less quote box? I personally think it looks better than offsetting the text or using quotation marks.

Modifying in what way? If you’re editing to remove extraneous material – e.g., you only need one paragraph of a seven-paragraph post – that’s already legal. If you’re editing to change the intent or significance of what was said, you shouldn’t used a quote box.

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