Quotation Marks
Learning Objective: - Correctly punctuate sentences containing quotation marks.
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LESSON
You probably use quotation marksA set of single or double inverted commas (' ' or " ") that are placed around a word or passage to mark the beginning and end of a direct quotation or a title. without even thinking about their purpose. They are used to set off material that is either quoted from another textWords that make up a book, essay, article, poem, or speech. or spoken, as in dialogueSpoken conversation described in written form, such as the script for a movie. in a novel. They are also used for titles of certain works. In this lesson, you will learn how to correctly use quotation marks in direct quotationsAn exact copy of the words from a speech or text. These words are placed inside quotation marks to show that they are a perfect repeat of the original. , in dialogue, and in setting off titles of short works.
Direct Quotation vs. Indirect Quotation
A direct quotation contains the exact words that someone said or wrote, while an indirect quotationA summary or paraphrase of another’s words or ideas. An indirect quotation does not require quotation marks. is a summaryA brief restatement of an author’s main idea and major supporting details. Summaries are factual and should be written in the third-person with an objective point of view. or paraphraseThe use of different words to express the meaning of an original text or speech. of another's words. Direct quotations require quotation marks; indirect quotations do not.
Example of a direct quotation: My father said, "There is no way that you are leaving my house in that outfit!"
Example of an indirect quotation: My father told my sister that she could not leave the house in her current outfit.
Hint: If there are no quotation marks, but there is a dialogue tagWords that show when and who speaks in a written work. Examples: Tom said, "This is the worst movie I've ever seen!" "Be quiet," she whispered., such as, he said or she said, along with the word that (as in the example above), it likely indicates an indirect quotation, especially when quoting what someone said. When quoting text, that often comes before a partial quotation (see below), which requires quotation marks.
Dialogue
In narrativeA story or account of events that is written or told. writing, characters often speak to each other. In standard practice, quotation marks identify these instances. The same rules apply in any form of writing that captures people speaking to one another, including articles in magazines and newspaper and reports written by law enforcement and medical professionals.
There are several rules you should keep in mind as you punctuateTo use punctuation marks in a text. direct quotations and dialogue.
- Place the speaker's words in quotation marks. Separate the quotation from the dialogue tag with a comma(,) A punctuation mark used to group and separate information in sentences..
"You may not hand in work late," said the teacher.
- CapitalizeTo use capital letters. the first letter of a quotation if the quotation is a complete sentence.
The teacher said, "You may not hand in work late."
- When the dialogue tag interrupts the quotation, separate both parts of the quotation from the dialogue tag with commas; however, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.
"You may not hand in work late," said the teacher, "even if you are ill."
- A partial quotation is when you use just part of a quotation. In this case, do not put a comma between the dialogue tag and the quoted material. Additionally, do not capitalize the first word in the quotation.
In his most famous speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. revealed that his dream was one where "my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
- The end punctuationThe punctuation at the end of a sentence, which can be a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point. The end punctuation helps define the tone and meaning of a sentence. Notice the difference in tone in these examples: Someone ate my last cookie! (I'm really mad about that.) Someone ate my last cookie. (Oh well, I wasn't hungry anyway.) Someone ate my last cookie? (I'm not sure I even had another cookie.) usually goes inside the quotation marks. If the person referred to in the dialogue tag asked a question or spoke excitedly, the question mark or exclamation point goes inside the quotation marks.
Sam asked, "Do you think that the instructor will let me turn my homework in a day late?"
Maria shouted, "I finally finished my essay!"
In certain cases involving exclamation points and question marks, however, the punctuation goes outside of the quotation marks. If the writer of the sentence, rather than the speaker, is the one asking the question or writing excitedly, the exclamation point goes outside of the quotation marks.
Can you believe that she walked in here and said, "I quit"?
I cannot believe that she walked in and said, "I quit"!
- If the person referred to in the dialogue tag quotes someone, that quotation should be in single quotation marks.
She responded, "I'm surprised she said 'I quit.' I'm shocked she'd leave her job with this company!"
Titles
Quotation marks are also used to set off the titles of short works. Use quotation marks to set off titles of "smaller" works, that is, works that make up portions of a larger, whole work, such as:
- Chapters of books
- Articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers
- Poems
- Essays
- Short stories
- Individual pages of a website
- Songs
For example:
Though all of George Saunders' short stories are remarkable, I found "Tenth of December" to be almost life-changing.
Why do I find myself whistling "Singin’ in the Rain" when it is snowing?
+ PRACTICAL APPLICATIONGiven their multiple purposes, quotation marks are used widely in written language. They are signals that help to clarify your writing. In the case of direct quotations, they are part of how you signal when words you use are not your own. This helps you to avoid any appearance of plagiarismThe act of taking someone else's ideas, words, or work and pass it off as your own; copying without giving credit., which is a very serious issue in both the workplace and in school.
Knowing how and when to use quotation marks is part of how you show your readers that you are a careful writer, which in turn will lead them to consider your ideas more seriously. Your professor might not grade down for errors, but if you use punctuation marks incorrectly, she may become more skeptical about the quality of other aspects of your writing. In a work setting, if you use improper punctuation in an annual report for your employers, it makes both them and you look bad.
+ EXAMPLEThe following are example sentences using quotation marks both correctly and incorrectly. As you review them, notice the examples that contain errors.
- With the advent of the Internet, it seems that songs like Let it Go from the blockbuster movie Frozen are instantly on the lips of every three-year-old, even those who haven't seen the movie.
The title of the song should be in quotation marks.
Correction: With the advent of the Internet, it seems that songs like "Let it Go" from the blockbuster movie Frozen are instantly on the lips of every three-year-old, even those who haven't seen the movie.
- Are you aware that you ended your email with "Sincerely You" instead of "Sincerely Yours?"
The speaker is the person asking the question; therefore, the question mark should appear outside of the quotation marks.
Correction: Are you aware that you ended your email with "Sincerely You" instead of "Sincerely Yours"?
- Though Bishop wrote the "poem" Filling Station in the mid-twentieth century, it describes a scene one could still find today.
The title of the poem should be in quotation marks, not the word poem.
Correction: Though Bishop wrote the poem "Filling Station" in the mid-twentieth century, it describes a scene one could still find today.
- Cailey observed, "She should have said, 'Stop right there!'"
This sentence is correctly punctuated. The quoted material suggests excitement; the exclamation point is therefore associated with the quoted material and is correctly placed within both sets of quotation marks.
- Flannery O'Connor's book A Good Man is Hard to Find includes the short story The River.
The short story should be in quotation marks since it is part of a larger work.
Correction: Flannery O'Connor's book A Good Man is Hard to Find includes the short story "The River."
- Roosevelt's "first inaugural address" was the source of the famous line, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
The direct quotation is correctly punctuated, but "first inaugural address" is not the title of the speech and should not be in quotation marks.
Correction: Roosevelt's first inaugural address was the source of the famous line, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
- There is a current exhibit at the "Smithsonian Museum" called "American Cool" that I would love to see.
The exhibit is appropriately punctuated, but museums are not on the list of titles that should be in quotation marks.
Correction: There is a current exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum called "American Cool" that I would love to see.
+ YOUR TURNRead the sentences below. For each sentence, indicate whether it is correctly punctuated and why or why not. If it is not, correct the sentence.
- Where on the website can I find the page "Frequently Asked Questions?"
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The question mark placement is incorrect; it should appear outside of the quotation marks because it is the speaker who is asking the question.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: Where on the website can I find the page "Frequently Asked Questions"?
- The assistant manager told me that "I should speak with Human Resources."
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
This is an indirect quotation so it incorrectly uses quotation marks. The word that is the clue that it is indirect.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: The assistant manager told me that I should speak with Human Resources.
- Jill LePore's article "The Prodigal Daughter" in The New Yorker offers a fascinating portrayal of Benjamin Franklin's virtually unknown sister.
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The sentence is correctly punctuated. The article is in quotation marks.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address has come to be known as his "Four Freedoms Speech".
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The quotation marks are correct, but the end punctuation should appear inside of them.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address has come to be known as his "Four Freedoms Speech."
- In her classic essay A Contrast in Generations, Helen Mathers argues that "a healthy child does not know what the word selfishness means."
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The quotation is correctly punctuated, but the title of the essay should also be in quotation marks.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: In her classic essay "A Contrast in Generations," Helen Mathers argues that "a healthy child does not know what the word selfishness means."
- The report on the "health status of children of migrant farm workers" concludes that there is an elevated risk of several serious health conditions for this population.
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The phrase in quotation marks is not the title of the report; it is the subject of the report. It should not be in quotation marks.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: The report on the health status of children of migrant farm workers concludes that there is an elevated risk of several serious health conditions for this population.
- The most relevant article is probably "Elbow Rehabilitation in Traumatic Pathology," but it may be difficult to find.
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The sentence is correctly punctuated. The work in question is an article. It appears within quotation marks and the comma appears inside the quotation marks.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
- As Shelley asks in his poem "Ode to the West Wind," Oh Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
The title is punctuated correctly within quotation marks, but the quotation that comes after it should be as well.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: As Shelley asks in his poem "Ode to the West Wind," "Oh Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"
- On my paper, my professor wrote you should use quotations that make your writing more powerful, but otherwise you should use your own ideas.
Is the sentence correctly punctuated? Why or why not?
This is a direct quotation, made evident by the use of the word "you," indicating that the point of view has changed from that of the student's to that of the professor's, which is what happens when a writer quotes someone, or something, directly. The quoted material should be in quotation marks. Also, because it is a full quotation, the first word should be capitalized and the quotation should be separated from the dialogue tag with a comma.
Write the corrected sentence (if necessary).
Correction: On my paper, my professor wrote, "You should use quotations that make your writing more powerful, but otherwise you should use your own ideas."
+ METACOGNITIVE QUESTIONWhy is using quotation marks correctly an important skill?
It helps to make my writing clear. It tells the reader who is speaking in a story or when I am quoting someone else. It's important to use them correctly, or else they can be confusing rather than clarifying.
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