Quotation marks are yet another punctuation mark that are very useful. They come in two variety: double ” “, and single ‘ ‘. There are several things to keep in mind about quotation marks.
1. Single quotation marks are primarily used within double quotation marks.
Ex: The teacher said, “It was Shakespeare who wrote, ‘To be, or not to be: that is the question.'”
2. Remember each new speaker needs a new paragraph if you are doing dialogue.
3. Use quotation marks for works that are part of other works such as:
- songs
- short stories
- short poems
- an article in a periodical
- essays
- page or document on a website
- episode of a TV or radio program
- sub-division of a book, such as a chapter
Ex: “Meg Goes to Vanity Fair” is a chapter in the book Little Women.
4. Quotation marks may be used around a word that is being used in a special sense or that you want to give special emphasis. Underline or use italics though if you are doing a definition.
Ex: Every child should have at least one “imaginary friend” at some point.
5. Do not use quotation marks in titles, unless there is a title within a title.
Ex: Incorrect – “The End of the World According to Robert Frost”; Correct – The End of the World in “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost
6. Do not use quotation marks around nicknames.
Ex: Incorrect – My name is Cynthia, but most people call me “Cindy”. Correct – My name is Cynthia, but most people call me Cindy.
7. Do not use quotation marks around technical terms, slang, or trite expressions.
Ex: Incorrect – Let us “seize the day”. Correct – Let us seize the day.
8. Commas and periods go inside quotation marks. Colons and semi-colons go outside quotation marks. Dashes, question marks, and explanation points go inside quotation marks only if they are part of a quotation.
Note: If there is already punctuation of some kind from the quote, you do not need to also add a comma or a period.
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