Quote and unquote meaning in email
In email etiquette, "quote" and "unquote" refer to the process of copying and pasting text from a previous message, and then removing the quotation marks.
Here's a breakdown:
Quote: When you copy and paste text from a previous message, you are "quoting" the original text. This is often done to:
- Respond to a specific point or question in the original message
- Clarify or expand on a previous statement
- Provide additional information related to the original topic
To quote text, you typically use the "Reply" or "Reply All" function in your email client, and then select the text you want to quote. The quoted text will usually be indented or formatted differently to distinguish it from new text you add to the response.
Unquote: When you remove the quotation marks from the copied text, you are "unquoting" it. This is often done to:
- Make the quoted text blend in with the rest of the message
- Remove unnecessary formatting or indentation
- Make the message easier to read
To unquote text, you can simply delete the quotation marks or use a formatting tool to remove the indentation.
Here's an example of quoting and unquoting in an email:
Original message: "Can you please provide more details about the project timeline?"
Quoted response: "I understand your concern. As I mentioned earlier, the project timeline is still being finalized. I'll provide an update by the end of the week."
Unquoted response: I understand your concern. As I mentioned earlier, the project timeline is still being finalized. I'll provide an update by the end of the week.
In this example, the original message is quoted to respond to the specific question, and then the quotation marks are removed to make the response easier to read.