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"?