Can you clarify the ambiguity of someone's quote by using square brackets within their quote?

Answer 1

if the person who you are quoting has left out a word. "He went to the shop where got some coke"... "he went to the shop where [he] got some coke"

or

you are only using half the quote and so it appears to not make sense, George Bush said "Osama is a terrorist and i will go find him and fight him myself". Press might say George Bush said today that he is planning to "go find him [Osama] and fight him".

or

the quote they said may have made sense but you need to add in a word because you are changing the context.

ie. In the story Tomorrow, When the War Began, Ellie is clearly a very strong girl, as indicated when she "ran accross the crowded bridge and finally got what I [she] was looking for... My [her] mother." - original quote would have been "I ran accross the crowded bridge and finally got what I was looking for... My mother."

Answer 2

Yes, you can use square brackets within someone's quote to clarify any ambiguity by inserting additional context or information to make the meaning clear without altering the original speaker's words. This technique is commonly used in journalism and research to provide necessary explanations or edits while quoting someone.