Quotation Marks

What are quotation marks?

Quotation marks are most commonly used to indicate the exact words that someone else said. This
is known as direct speech or direct quotation.

There are two forms of quotation marks: double quotation marks ( ) and single quotation marks (
). American English almost exclusively uses double quotation marks, while British English tends to
favor single quotation marks (although it is not uncommon to see double quotation marks used in
British English as well).

Punctuating direct speech

Quotation marks make it clear when speech is being quoted in writing. However, there are a few
other punctuation rules that we use to help make it clear what was said by the person being quoted,
as opposed to the person quoting him or her.

Most of the time, we introduce quoted text with a reporting verb, such as said, told, asked,
remarked, etc. If we are quoting an entire sentence, we set the quotation apart with one or two
commas. For example:

John said, Ill never live in this city again.

Mary told him, I want to have another baby, which took him by surprise.

The other day, my daughter asked, Mommy, why do I have to go to school, but you dont?

However, if we are quoting a fragment of speech that is used as an integral part of the overall
sentence, then no commas are used. For instance:

John said he feels really bad about what happened.

Direct speech before a reporting verb

We can also put direct speech before the reporting verb. Again, we usually use a comma to separate
the quoted text from the unquoted text, as in:

I cant wait to see daddy, my son said.

However, if a question mark or exclamation point is used in the direct speech, then we do not use a
comma no matter where the quotation is located:

Where are we going? asked Sally.

This is going to be great! Tom exclaimed.

End punctuation: American vs. British English

In American English, a period or comma used at the end of direct speech always appears within the
quotation marks.

In British English, however, if the quotation ends in a period or comma, it is usually placed outside
the quotation mark, as in:

The CEO said, This is a great day for the company.

Note that if a quoted sentence ends in a question mark or exclamation point that belongs to the
quotation, it will appear within the quotation marks. If the question mark or exclamation point
belongs to the overall sentence (that is, it isnt actually part of the quotation), it will appear outside
the quotation marks. This is the same in both American and British English. For example:

Samantha asked, How long will it take to get there?

But I dont want to just see how things go!

Using multiple sets of quotation marks

If a sentence already uses quotation marks and quoted text appears within it, then we have to
differentiate between the two quoted elements. If we are already using double quotation marks,
then we have to put the quoted speech in single quotation marks; likewise, if the main sentence is in
single quotation marks, then the newly quoted text is put into double quotation marks. The rest of
the punctuation in the sentence does not change. For example:

They told us, We dont have the budget for more staff.

The prime minister is reported to have said that he is in disagreement with the presidents
remarks, which prompted a quick response from the White House.

Using quotation marks across multiple paragraphs

Quotation marks almost always travel as a pair, with a closing quotation mark ( ) required anytime
an opening quotation mark ( ) is used. There is one specific exception to this rule, however, which
occurs when quoted text spans multiple paragraphs. When this happens, we put an opening
quotation mark at the beginning of each quoted paragraph, but we only put a closing quotation
mark after the last paragraph. For example:

When I was young, my father told me about the many adventures he had traveling across southern
France on his motorbike. Ever since, Ive had a burning desire to make a similar journey of my own. It
wasnt until nearly 40 years later, though, that I had the chance. (The quotation continues into the
next paragraph, so no closing quotation mark is used here.)

Having lost my job during the recession, I decided to sell my house and most of my belongings. I
found an ex-pat living in Paris from whom I could buy a motorbike at a good price, so I booked a
flight and made my way across the Atlantic, with nothing but a tattered map of France, a notebook,
and my fathers old rucksack. (This is the end of the quotation, so a closing quotation mark is now
necessary.)

Other uses

In addition to indicating quoted speech, quotation marks also serve to indicate the titles of smaller
pieces of creative work, as well as to highlight particular words or phrases that are uncertain or
questionable.

Indicating titles

While we use italics or occasionally underlining to indicate the title of a complete body of creative
work (such as a novel, music album, play, or film), we use quotation marks to indicate the titles of
smaller bodies of works (such as short stories, articles, or poems) or sections of a larger work (such
as chapters, songs, or television episodes). For example:

The final chapter of Moby-Dick, called The Chase Third Day, is a truly thrilling piece of writing.

Did you ever see The Simpsons episode King Size Homer? Its one of my favorites.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is often studied in American Literature classes.

However, note that longer poems or stories (that are or could be published as standalone books) can
take italics rather than quotation marks, as in:

T.S. Eliots poem The Wasteland is deservedly regarded as a masterpiece, as is his shorter work, The
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Highlighting certain words

We can also use quotation marks to place emphasis on a word or phrase we feel is strange or
dubious, or about which we are not certain. Putting such words in quotation marks suggests to the
reader that the thing indicated is peculiar or even untrustworthy. For example:

Everyone calls him Honest Joe, but from my experience theres nothing honest about him.

Well, their sale is really just a $5 coupon thats only valid if you spend over $100 in the store.

In a similar fashion, we can use quotation marks to highlight terminology that is considered novel or
outside the mainstream lexicon. For instance:

One of the emerging neo-Gothic revivalists, the artist has seen several of his latest pieces fetch
extraordinary prices.

The tech company is continuing to develop their line of office on the move smart phones.