Modifying Quotes [brackets]
When can I change the words in a quote?
It's ok to change the words in a quote if doing so will enhance the clarity without changing the meaning. Usually we do this to replace a pronoun with a noun. When changing the words in a quote, you must always signify the change by using [brackets].
What does it look like?
Here is an integrated quote:
He also writes with a lot of detail in the passage about what he want to do with Kathy to keep her. “He’d want to suck them from their sockets. He’d want to feel their weight on his tongue, taste the whites, roll them around like lemon drops" (O’Brien 71).
In the passage above, it is unclear what the word "them" refers to. We could quote more of the passage so that we get bit about her eyes, but that's taking up too much space. Instead, we replace the word "them" with "[her eyes]," like this:
He also writes with a lot of detail in the passage about what he want to do with Kathy to keep her. “He’d want to suck [her eyes] from their sockets. He’d want to feel their weight on his tongue, taste the whites, roll them around like lemon drops" (O’Brien 71).
He also writes with a lot of detail in the passage about what he want to do with Kathy to keep her. “He’d want to suck them from their sockets. He’d want to feel their weight on his tongue, taste the whites, roll them around like lemon drops" (O’Brien 71).
In the passage above, it is unclear what the word "them" refers to. We could quote more of the passage so that we get bit about her eyes, but that's taking up too much space. Instead, we replace the word "them" with "[her eyes]," like this:
He also writes with a lot of detail in the passage about what he want to do with Kathy to keep her. “He’d want to suck [her eyes] from their sockets. He’d want to feel their weight on his tongue, taste the whites, roll them around like lemon drops" (O’Brien 71).
Just be careful
Make sure that you don't change the meaning of the sentence. Only use those brackets to clarify the speaker or writer's original meaning.