Rules of Using Quotation Marks
1. All periods and commas are placed inside the terminal quotation marks.
P.T. Barnum is reputed to have said that “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
P.T Barnum is reputed to have said that “there’s a sucker born ever minute,” and Barnum’s circus undertook to entertain each and everyone.
2. All semicolons, colons, and dashes are placed outside the terminal quotation marks.
George Santayana wrote that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”;
today, we are in danger of forgetting the lesson of history.
In the first chapter of his book, Thomas revealed his feeling: “It is better to die than to work with
the enemy.”
1. Question marks and exclamation points are sometimes places inside the quotation marks and sometimes placed outside.
· If the quotation is itself a question or an exclamation, the mark or point goes inside the quotation marks.
General Sherman signaled the arrival of his reinforcements: “Hold the fort! I am coming!”
· If your own sentence is a question or an exclamation, the mark or point goes outside a quotation at the very end of your sentence.
Can anyone in the 1980s agree with Dumas that “woman inspires us to great things and prevents us from achieving them”?
Interrupting Quotations
It is desirable to break up a long quotation or to vary the way you quote your sources by interrupting a quotation and placing the citation in the middle.
“I do not mind lying,” wrote Samuel Butler, “but I hate inaccuracy.”
Quoting inside a Quotation
Sometimes a statement that you want to quote already contains a quotation. In this case, you must use two sets of quotation marks, double and single, to help your reader to distinguish between the two separate sources.
· “…….” Single quotation marks are used for the words already quoted by your source.
· “……” Double quotation marks are used around the words that are quoting.
I draw the line at “forever.”
Eternally inquiring and curious about places and people, “I draw the line at ‘forever.’”
At the beginning of the World War I, Winston Churchill observed that “the maximum of the British people is ‘Business as usual.’”
Using Ellipses to Delete Words (…)
· It is permissible to delete words from a quotation
· Be sure that your condensed version is as accurate as the original
· Be sure to insert the conventional symbol for deletion, three spaced dots, called ellipsis.
Original
Modern democracy and modern method of publicity have made the problem of affecting public opinion quite different from what it used to be. The knowledge that public possesses on any important issue is derived from vast and powerful organization: the press, radio, and, above all, television.
Bertrand Russell
Quotation with Ellipsis
Russell comments that “modern democracy and modern method of publicity have made the problem of affecting public opinion… The knowledge that public possesses on any important issues is derived from vast and powerful organization: …”
Using Brackets to Insert Words [ ]
-The most common reason for using brackets is to clarify a vague word.
Original
Man lives by habits, indeed, but what he lives for thrills and excitement.
William James
Quotation with brackets
William James argues that “what he [man] lives for is thrills and excitement.”
1. All periods and commas are placed inside the terminal quotation marks.
P.T. Barnum is reputed to have said that “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
P.T Barnum is reputed to have said that “there’s a sucker born ever minute,” and Barnum’s circus undertook to entertain each and everyone.
2. All semicolons, colons, and dashes are placed outside the terminal quotation marks.
George Santayana wrote that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”;
today, we are in danger of forgetting the lesson of history.
In the first chapter of his book, Thomas revealed his feeling: “It is better to die than to work with
the enemy.”
1. Question marks and exclamation points are sometimes places inside the quotation marks and sometimes placed outside.
· If the quotation is itself a question or an exclamation, the mark or point goes inside the quotation marks.
General Sherman signaled the arrival of his reinforcements: “Hold the fort! I am coming!”
· If your own sentence is a question or an exclamation, the mark or point goes outside a quotation at the very end of your sentence.
Can anyone in the 1980s agree with Dumas that “woman inspires us to great things and prevents us from achieving them”?
Interrupting Quotations
It is desirable to break up a long quotation or to vary the way you quote your sources by interrupting a quotation and placing the citation in the middle.
“I do not mind lying,” wrote Samuel Butler, “but I hate inaccuracy.”
Quoting inside a Quotation
Sometimes a statement that you want to quote already contains a quotation. In this case, you must use two sets of quotation marks, double and single, to help your reader to distinguish between the two separate sources.
· “…….” Single quotation marks are used for the words already quoted by your source.
· “……” Double quotation marks are used around the words that are quoting.
I draw the line at “forever.”
Eternally inquiring and curious about places and people, “I draw the line at ‘forever.’”
At the beginning of the World War I, Winston Churchill observed that “the maximum of the British people is ‘Business as usual.’”
Using Ellipses to Delete Words (…)
· It is permissible to delete words from a quotation
· Be sure that your condensed version is as accurate as the original
· Be sure to insert the conventional symbol for deletion, three spaced dots, called ellipsis.
Original
Modern democracy and modern method of publicity have made the problem of affecting public opinion quite different from what it used to be. The knowledge that public possesses on any important issue is derived from vast and powerful organization: the press, radio, and, above all, television.
Bertrand Russell
Quotation with Ellipsis
Russell comments that “modern democracy and modern method of publicity have made the problem of affecting public opinion… The knowledge that public possesses on any important issues is derived from vast and powerful organization: …”
Using Brackets to Insert Words [ ]
-The most common reason for using brackets is to clarify a vague word.
Original
Man lives by habits, indeed, but what he lives for thrills and excitement.
William James
Quotation with brackets
William James argues that “what he [man] lives for is thrills and excitement.”
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