To quote is to repeat or copy the words of (another), usually with acknowledgment of the source. If you want to be a journalist, this is a very important concept. When you are reporting a story to someone, using quotes is a tact that can make your whole article pull together. Asking questions and getting answers is the basis of your news story. You cannot base an article solely off of your own opinion and what you know about the topic. Quotes make for a very interesting and more in depth article as well.
You go about getting quotes by first setting up an interview. Find someone who has something to do with your article. For example, if you were doing an article on Dress Code in your school, you would want to go talk to your principal, one of your teachers, or even one of your fellow students to see their opinions on this particular topic. Make sure to take accurate notes. Misquoting someone could start a really big confrontation with that person or others.
Another concept would be paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is a restatement of a text or passage in another form or other words, often to clarify meaning. If someone you interviewed is saying a lot of interesting things that you want to use in your article, but you think that you already have too many quotes by that person, putting their words in your own words makes for interesting text.
To practice with quoting, try talking with one of your parents, or any family member. Take good notes and try quoting and paraphrasing them. Show your teacher when you≠re done, and if you have any questions or did something wrong, then just let one of us here know. We can help you out.