Quotation Marks 6.5 Flashcards
Single or double quotation marks
UK and AUS English use single for quotes and double for quotes within quotes.
Ex/
‘Are you quite sure,’ said Margret, ‘that you know what a “McGuffin” is?’
US English is the other way around.
Ex/
“Are your quite sure,” said Margret, “that you know what a ‘McGruffin’ is ?”
Comma and periods with quotation marks
There are regional differences for commas and periods.
UK and AUS English comma and periods go inside quotation marks they are part of quoted material, but outside otherwise.
Ex/
The briefcase in Pulp Fiction has been described as ‘the archetypal McGuffin’.
US English always put punctuation inside quotation marks.
Ex/
The briefcase in Pulp Fiction has been described as “the archetypal McGuffin.”
Punctuating dialogue in quotations
One exception to the general rule about comma and period placement in UK and AUS English is dialogue in fiction. Punctuation is almost always inside quotation marks.
Explanation marks and question marks with quotations
Are the same regionally.
They go inside if they are a part of the quotation.
They go outside if they are a part of the surrounding text.
*When a quote ends with an explanation mark or question mark within quotation marks, there is usually no need to add an extra period.
Check style guide
Colons, semicolons, and dashes with quotation marks
If they’re a part of the text being quotes then they should appear with in the quotation marks.
Otherwise they always go outside of them.
Capitalization and quotation marks
The general rule is to capitalize the first word of a complete sentence.
You can use brackets to show that the capitalization has been changed in a quote. Like in a partial quote:
Ex/
Einstein described experience as “[t]he only source of knowledge.”
Quotation marks Vs. Italics in titles
Titles of longer works are usually italicized, including. Oils, movies, TV shows, etc.
Quotation marks are used for shorter works, such as poems, songs, episodes, articles, etc.
Ex/
The final episode of Blackadder, aptly titled “Goodbyeee,” is often praised for its memorable closing scene.
*check style guide.
Ex/
APA used quotations for shorter works within the main body of an essay, but not in the reference list.
Scare quotes
Are used to highlight particular words in a passage of text, even when they are not direct quotations.
The author might have borrowed the term from somewhere or consider the term dubious, so they’re using it ironically.
Ex/
The “fresh” bread I bought today turned out to be moldy.
*advise the author to use them when introducing the term but not subsequently.
Unnecessary quotation marks
- used for emphasis
Ex/
We always use “fresh” ingredients.
Implies fresh is sarcastic.
- reported speech
Ex/
Sally told me that she was “terribly I’ll.”
Implies terribly ill is sarcastic.
*clarify tone with the author
Square brackets and quotation
Square brackets indicate a change to what an author wrote, such as when editing a quote or adding an additional note.
