Q&A for How to Use Quotation Marks

A quotation mark appears like this: “[insert words]” (also known as "66" and "99" quotation marks) or this: "[insert words." (These two examples just show different font styles). You can also have the British English version 'like this'. The actual appearance will vary between different fonts and different sizes of the fonts.

The semicolon is placed after the quotation mark. It’s a fairly rare issue but would likely come up in such situations as: The place was called "Marchmead"; the residents were never there.

The question mark will go inside the quotation mark where it forms part of the quotation, for example: "Are we going to the beach today?". However, it will sit outside the quotation mark where it isn’t part of the quotation, for example: Did you ever read "Brideshead Revisited"?.

The placement of periods (or full stops) very much depends on which English you’re using. In American English, the quotation mark should be placed outside the period, for example: "His last memories of you linger." In British English, the quotation mark is placed before the full stop, for example: "His last memories of you linger".

No, you don't need to use quotation marks around the name of an award. Same way you wouldn't put quotation marks around Oscar or Grammy Award - just capitalize it.

If you're having your character read an email out loud, you would use quotation marks as usual to indicate when the character is speaking, and within that, use single quotation marks for anything the character is quoting. For example, "I don't know what she meant by 'or else.'" If that's an entire email, so be it. You can write the paragraphs of the email as separate paragraphs, just as you might write separate paragraphs of one person's speech. Alternatively, if you're just having a character read an email silently, you could include an image of the email instead of writing it out, or you could set the email text apart from the regular text by centering, indenting, and/or italicizing the text of the email and having it on separate lines from the regular text.

Use them at the beginning of each paragraph, but omit them at the end of each paragraph except the final one. This helps the reader recognize that the quotation is continuing into the next paragraph.

Use dashes sparingly. Use them only when the person quoted changed his/her thoughts abruptly or in mid-sentence.

Quotation marks show that the quote was worded in exactly the way you are presenting it, rather than merely along the same lines (that is, not paraphrased). Quotation marks also point out distinct concepts, set out titles or instructions clearly from the rest of the text and can be used to denote a supposed quality that doesn't really exist.

Generally, to indicate that you're quoting someone else's language, not using the word yourself. Or to indicate that you're talking *about* the word rather than actually using it. For example, here you're talking about a word: The word "quotation" has an interesting origin. As opposed to actually using a word: I would like to share a thought-provoking quotation with you.

By using quotation marks around a phrase of two or more words, you're telling the search engine that you're looking for those exact words in that exact order. Without the quotation marks, the search might bring up pages with any of those words placed separately and randomly - so you will get results that contain both words together in that order, results that contain the words in a different order or completely separately, and results that only contain one of the words. If the phrase you're searching is relatively common, you'll likely get mostly relevant results on the first few pages regardless of whether or not you use quotation marks. But if it's less common, you might see a lot of random unrelated results if you don't use quotation marks.

Yes.

If the sentences are all spoken or written together by one person as a single passage, the quotation marks go at the beginning and end of the full passage. If the sentences were spoken or written separately, they would not be quoted as a single passage.

He said, "Hello."

Put quotation marks around the quote, and follow it with a dash or a colon, followed by the author's name.

If you begin the full quote with a double quotation mark, enclose the spoken words within single quotation marks. In some educational systems that procedure is reversed.

Yes, usually quotation marks show that you have quoted something or someone is saying something. For example, in a story Joe said "I like to go camping" -- you can use quote marks like that or for actual quotes.

It depends on where you live! If you're going by standard U.S. punctuation, yes, that is correct.

That's correct.

Use them at the beginning of each paragraph, but omit them at the end of each paragraph except the final one.

Yes.

They don't always. If it is part of the speech, the punctuation marks go inside the double inverted commas. If the quotation doesn't end with the punctuation, it goes outside the single inverted commas.

If the entire book is narration, you don't need quotation marks.

Put a set of quotation marks around each paragraph.

Yes, that's the clearest way to name a slightly vague or unfamiliar concept.

You are correct. The mistake has been corrected above.

Yes. North American writers place single quotation marks inside double quotation marks. British and Australian writers usually place double quotation marks inside single quotation marks. There are other differences, too, including placement of full stops/periods at the end of quotations. Punctuation rules actually amount to nothing more than personal preferences, usually reflective of academic training. Striving for consistency is probably the one universal goal among various traditions.

Yes.

Put quotation marks around the exact wording of the sign, as in your example.

When you paraphrase a speaker or writer rather than quoting that person verbatim.