Is it rude to use sic?

Sic – not an abbreviation but a Latin word meaning thus or so – can usefully clarify that a speaker said or wrote just as they are quoted to have done. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, echoing Mitford, says the use of sic “may be defensive, but its overuse is offensive”.

What do you do if there is a grammatical error in the quote you wish to use?

When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, you should transcribe the error exactly in your own text. However, also insert the term sic in italics directly after the mistake, and enclose it in brackets.

How do you do sic with multiple errors?

If any incorrect spelling, punctuation, or grammar in the source might confuse readers, insert the word “[sic],” italicized and in brackets, immediately after the error in the quotation. Nowak (2019) wrote that “people have an obligation to care for there [sic] pets” (p. 52).

What does it mean when someone write sic?

The sic you see in quoted text marks a spelling or grammatical error. It means that the text was quoted verbatim, and the mistake it marks appears in the source. It’s actually a Latin word that means “so” or “thus.”

How do you quote bad grammar?

If “incorrect spelling, grammar, or punctuation in the source might confuse readers, insert the word ‘[sic]’, italicized and bracketed, immediately after the error in the quotation” (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 274). For example, “they made they’re [sic] lunches.”

What does it mean to sic a dog on someone?

attack
: to order (an animal, such as a dog) to attack (someone or something) He sicced his dog on me. —often used figuratively The company sicced their lawyers on me.

Can you put sic at the end of a quote?

Place the word “sic” after the misspelled word. If there are multiple misspelled words within one quote, place “sic” at the end of the phrase but within the quotation marks.