"Quote me!"
How do you use quotation marks correctly?
Most of us know that Quotation Marks are used when we are recording direct speech. In this post we will delve into the details of the correct use of, and punctuation around, quotation marks. (Welcome to Manuscribit! For best results, begin with the first post and work your way through with sketchbook in hand.)
Quotations Marks are used, first and foremost, to set off direct quotes. Examples: “This is my address,” she said. He asked, “Do you know the answer?” Note that commas and question marks are placed inside of the final quote mark to separate it from the remainder of the sentence, but commas are placed outside of the beginning of a quotation within a sentence. If a quotation precedes a semi-colon in a sentence, the semi-colon is placed outside of the quotation marks. Examples: Mom always yelled out the front door, “Dinner time!”; she was never one to worry about what neighbors thought.
If the quotation is divided within the sentence, then another set of quotation marks must be provided. Examples: “At first,” he replied, “I wasn’t sure.” “What if all of us,” she proposed, “went to the diner instead?”
Quotation marks are never used for indirect quotes. Examples: He said that he didn’t want to go. I heard her say that she was tired.
Quotation marks are used with titles of articles, chapters of books, and short poems or stories. Examples: We memorized Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Traveled.” The first chapter of his book is entitled “The Start of our Journey.”
Nicknames or ironic words and phrases may be put in quotations. Examples: Her name is Katharine, but she always goes by “Kiki.” His “apartment” was nothing more than a large closet at the top of the stairs.
If there is a quotation within a quotation, the quotation within is set off by single marks. Example: “I was shocked when she said, ‘I agree with you” as I never thought she would.”
In non-fiction writing, if you are using a quotation that is fifty words or longer, then you may indent the entire quotation so that it is clearly set off from the primary text. Be sure to provide a citation.
That’s it for today. Our next installment of Manuscribit will concern Semi-colons, an under-used but very effective bit of punctuation.
Until then, may God’s peace be with you!