While anything that appears in quotation marks should ideally be word for word what the person said, it's all right to clean up grammar or tighten the phrasing a bit to make the quotation "read better."

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Quotations should be reported exactly as they were spoken or written, without altering grammar or wording, to maintain accuracy and integrity.

While Anything That Appears in Quotation Marks Should Ideally Be