What is the correct way to use punctuation with quotation marks?
Use quotation marks to enclose direct quotation
- "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Remember: Do not use quotation marks around indirect quotations. An indirect quotation reports someone's ideas without using that person's exact words.
In dialogue, begin a new parapraph to mark a change in speaker.
- "Mom, his name is Willie, not William. A thousand times I've told you, it's Willie." "Willie is a derivative of William, Lester. Surely his birth certificate doesn't have Willie on it, and I like calling people by their proper names." "Yes, it does, ma'ma. My mother named me Willie K Mason." -Gloria Naylor
Remember If a single speaker utters more than one paragraph, introduce each paragraph with quotation marks, but do not use closing quotation marks until the end of the speech
For more examples.http://www.owl.english.purdue.edu/
Set off long quotation of poetry by indenting
Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation with a quotation
- According to Paul Eliott, Eskimo hunters "chant an anciet magic sone to the seal they are after: 'Beast fo the sea! Come and place yourself before me in the earyl morning.
Use quotation marks around the titles of short works: newspaper and magazine articles, poems, stories, songs, episodes of televison, etc...
- Kathernie Mansfield's "The Garden Party" provoked a lively discusion in our short-story class last night.
Remember: Titles of books, plays, Web sites, and films and names of magazines and newspaper are put in italics or underlined
Quotation marks can be used to set off words used a words.
- The words "accept" and "except" are frequently confused.
If the quotation is interrupted and then continues in your sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.
- "He likes to talk about football," she said, "especially when the Super Bowl is coming up."
Periods and commas
- Always place peroids and commas inside quotation marks.
- Example: "This is a stick up," said the well-dressed young couple. "We want all your money."
Remember This rule applies to single quotation marks as well as double quotation marks. Exception In the Modern Language Association's style of parenthetical in text citations, the period follows the citation in parentheses.
Colons and semicolons
- Put colons and semicolons outside quotation marks.
- Example: Harold wrote, "I regret that I am unable to attend the fundraiser for AIDS reseach"; his letter, however, contained a substantial contribution.
Question marks and exclamation points
- Put question marks and exclamation points inside quotation marks unless they apply to the sentence as a whole
- Example: Contrary to tradition, bedtime at my house is marked by "Mommy, can I tell you a story now?"
- Example: Have you heard the old proverb "Do not climb the hill until you reach it"?