What Are Quotation Marks (“ ”)
Quotation marks are used to identify words that someone has said. You’ll often find them in fiction, where they signify dialogue, the words spoken by the characters. In newspapers, journalists use quotation marks to signify that something is a direct quote from a person in the article. In academic papers, quotation marks can signify that you are quoting material that was written by someone else. Quotation marks always come in pairs; the first set opens the quote and the second set closes the quote.
American vs. British Quotation Marks
American English and British English differ in the way they use quotation marks. American English uses double quotation marks (“ ”) for quotes and reserves single quotation marks (‘ ’) for quotes within quotes. In British English, the convention is the opposite. Another difference is that in American English, periods and commas go before closing quotation marks. In British English, they go after the closing quotation mark. The guidelines below apply to American English.
Dialogue
When writers become confused about quotation marks, it usually has to do with where to put other nearby punctuation. Below is an example of a conversation between two characters, with their dialogue correctly punctuated.
Examples:
- Sam said, “I’ll drop the parcel at Janet’s house by tomorrow.”
- “I don’t believe it!” cried proud father.
- “Oh, but I am,” Mike replied.
- “How will you get there?” Father asked.
- “I thought I’d take the bus.”
- “And,” Fauntleroy continued, “exactly by what time ‘tomorrow’?”
- “Probably around nine in the morning.”
- “Well . . . fine.”
Non-Dialogue Quotations
In nonfiction or academic contexts, you may want to quote someone without styling it as dialogue.
Examples:
- The mayor said his two golden retrievers were “the best dogs in the world” and added that he was not a cat person. (Correct)
- The mayor said his two golden retrievers were “the best dogs in the world. I’m not a cat person.” (Wrong)
- In the second example, the sentence begins in the third person and past tense but abruptly switches to the first person and present tense halfway through the quote. The result is jarring for the reader, and sometimes hard to follow.
Scare Quotes
Occasionally, writers enclose certain terms they wish to distance themselves from in quotation marks. Quotation marks used this way are commonly called scare quotes or shudder quotes. It’s a way of implying that you’re using a term in an unusual way or that you don’t necessarily approve of it.
Examples:
- Silicon Valley has fully embraced the “sharing economy.”
- The scare quotes around sharing economy suggest that it’s not a fully accepted term. Perhaps the writer feels that it’s jargon or just doesn’t like it. Overusing scare quotes will quickly annoy readers, so reserve them for terms that truly require them.
Examples:
- For too many people, “computer security” is an oxymoron.
- In the sentence above, the scare quotes are needed to indicate that the writer is not talking about computer security in general, but rather the term itself.
- Scare quotes usually suggest a sniff of disapproval or sarcasm from the writer. Therefore, it should never be used purely for emphasis or decoration.
Examples:
- A sign outside a restaurant that proclaims Best “Flapjacks” in Town will make people stop and wonder why the flapjacks need the scare quotes. Are they really flapjacks? Or are they some kind of inferior imitation?
- Likewise, if you write someone a note that says I “love” you, the recipient will probably assume that you meant the exact opposite!