Use Quotation Marks
Quotation marks(“ ”) are used to enclose words that are quoted from the original source, or to set off dialog from narrative. They always come in pairs—open quotation marks and close quotation marks—which in most typefaces (albeit not this one) are typographically distinct. We’ll help sort this all out, and show you how to quote things properly.
Contents
Steps
Quotation Marks Usage Chart
Doc:Quotation Marks Usage Chart
Using Quotation Marks
- Quote a phrase. When quoting someone word-for-word, use quotation marks to show the reader exactly which words are being borrowed from a particular source. This is especially important in research writing. For example:
- Gilder states that “bandwidth grows at least three times faster than computer power.”—“Musings on Moore's Law and Other Laws of Technology” by Robert Swider and Dennis Kambury
- Use quotation marks for direct quotes. Use quotation marks to surround direct quotes from a source, person, article, or other source.
- Use a comma before a quote only if you precede the quote with an identifier (a tag) such as "he said" or "According to experts." In the U.S., a quotation that ends a sentence should contain the period, exclamation mark, or question mark within the quotation marks:
- She said, “Shelly sells seashells by the seashore.”
- Likewise, if a quote has text that follows it, there should be a comma placed within the quotation marks:
- “Shelly sells seashells by the seashore,” according to today's newspaper.
- Use a comma before a quote only if you precede the quote with an identifier (a tag) such as "he said" or "According to experts." In the U.S., a quotation that ends a sentence should contain the period, exclamation mark, or question mark within the quotation marks:
- Quote in context. A direct quote may be woven into a sentence already in progress (Example A), or it may be used in its entirety, either within or connected to a given sentence (Example B). Don't add commas; just use ordinary punctuation.
- Example A: In a live interview, Mayor Candor admitted that “our politicians are failing to represent their constituents.”
- Example B: Dr. Striker, chief of surgery at Middleton Hospital, announced today, “Our hospital will no longer be able to offer services to people who have no health insurance.”
- Use quotation marks to set off dialog:
- Tom said, “Look! I don't know how to use quotation marks, okay?” Betsy replied, “That’s unacceptable, Thomas. I’m not proud of you.”
- Quote titles properly. Use quotations marks for titles of shorter works, as follows:
- Song titles. "Tangled Up in Blue," by Bob Dylan
- Short stories. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" By Philip K. Dick
- Book chapters. Chapter I, "The Period," by Charles Dickens
- Essays. "The Art of Procuring Pleasant Dreams," by Benjamin Franklin
- Journal, magazine, or newspaper articles. "Get the Old Off the Road," by David Frum
- One-act plays. "The Dumb Waiter," by Harold Pinter
- TV episodes. "The Trouble With Tribbles," Star Trek
- Punctuate quotes correctly. Commas and periods have their place, and when they're placed within quotes, there are some common errors that people make:
- Periods go inside quotation marks: Bob Dylan wrote "Visions of Johanna."
- Commas go inside quotation marks: Bob Dylan wrote "Visions of Johanna," and many other songs as well.
- Question marks go outside quotation marks unless they're part of the quotation. Is Bob Dylan the composer of "Cold Irons Bound"? "Blade Runner" is based on the book by Philip K. Dick entitled "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
- Use single quotation marks when appropriate. Enclose a quote within a quote by using a single set of quotation marks:
- Shelby asked, "Hey, Shelly, did you say the other day, 'I sell seashells by the seashore'?"
- In newspaper headlines, use a single quote: Congressman Shouts 'Liar' At Pres
- When using single quotes to set aside key terms, punctuation goes outside the quotes: "Sartre's treatment of 'being', as opposed to his treatment of 'non-being', has been thoroughly described in Kaufmann's book.
Tips
- Although it happens rarely, when a quote within a quote contains yet another quote, the innermost quote is set off by double quotation marks. Single quotation marks and double quotation marks continue to alternate in this way as more direct quotations are added inside others.
- Teachers, don't forget to look at the other wikiHows in the English Grammar for additional articles on grammar that you can easily incorporate into your teaching.
- A single word or a short phrase may be enclosed in quotation marks to indicate ironic use: Congressman, we know that to you, will always do the "right" thing.
- Quotation marks may also be used around a single word or group of words to indicate use of a borrowed word or phrase. The reader is to understand that anything within quotations was spoken or written by someone other than the author of the work that contains it.
- Example: In a TV interview, Jackson showed off his "slam jam" dance move.
- It is the usual American practice to put sentence-ending punctuation (a period, question mark, or exclamation point) inside the closing quotation mark.
- Example: According to the president, "The war in Iraq is going splendidly."British writers typically put sentence-ending punctuation outside the closing quotation mark:
- Example: According to the prime minister, "The war in Iraq is going splendidly".An exception to the American usage occurs when a direct quote in the declarative mode ends a sentence in the interrogative or exclamatory mode:
- Example: Are you the one who called the president "a prevaricating cad"?
- Individual titles of the Bible are never italicized nor placed in quotes.
- Running Quotes: If a full paragraph of quoted material is followed by a paragraph that continues the quotation, do not put close-quote marks at the end of the first paragraph. Do, however, put open-quote marks at the start of the second paragraph. Continue in this fashion for any succeeding paragraphs, using close-quote marks only at the end of the quoted material.
- Example:
"I think you're wrong.
"That is what you do so well: Being wrong."
- Example:
Warnings
- Do not use quotations to add emphasis to a word or words in a written work. Only use them when they are words being borrowed from someone else.
