Quotation Marks
Quotation marks (“ ”) are punctuation marks with two common uses in college writing: They are used with direct quotations, and they are used to set off titles. They always appear in pairs.
QUOTATION MARKS FOR DIRECT QUOTATIONS
When you write a direct quotation, you need to use quotation marks around the quoted words. These marks tell readers that the words used are exactly what was said or written.
Quoted words are usually combined with words that identify who is speaking. The identifying words can come after the quoted words, before them, or in the middle. Here are some guidelines for capitalization and punctuation.
- Capitalize the first letter in a complete sentence that’s being quoted, even if it comes after some identifying words.
- Do not capitalize the first letter in a quotation if it is not the first word in the complete sentence.
- If it is a complete sentence and its source is clear, you can let a quotation stand on its own, without any identifying words.
- Attach identifying words to a quotation with a comma; these identifying words cannot be a sentence on their own.
- Always put quotation marks after commas and periods. Put quotation marks after question marks and exclamation points if they are part of the quoted sentence.
- If a question mark or exclamation point is part of your own sentence, put it after the quotation mark.
For information about how to use quotations in research papers, see Chapter 14.
When you quote the exact words of an outside source in a paper, use quotation marks. You also need to cite, or give credit to, the source.
The government needs to ensure that when a company fails, employees’ pensions are protected. An article in the Boston Globe reported, “When Polaroid collapsed, pension funds and employee stock programs were suddenly worthless. At the same time, however, the chief financial officer walked away with a package worth more than $2 million” (Richardson B3).
For more on citing and documenting sources, see “Cite and Document Your Sources” in Chapter 14.
SETTING OFF A QUOTATION WITHIN ANOTHER QUOTATION
Sometimes you may directly quote someone who quotes what someone else said or wrote. Put single quotation marks (
) around the quotation within a quotation so that readers understand who said what.
NO QUOTATION MARKS FOR INDIRECT QUOTATIONS
When you report what someone said or wrote but do not use the person’s exact words, you are writing an indirect quotation. Do not use quotation marks for indirect quotations. Indirect quotations often begin with the word that.
| INDIRECT QUOTATION | Sophie said that the exam was postponed. |
| DIRECT QUOTATION | Sophie said, “The exam was postponed. ” |
QUOTATION MARKS FOR CERTAIN TITLES
When referring to a short work such as a magazine or newspaper article, a chapter in a book, a short story, an essay, a song, or a poem, put quotation marks around the title of the work.
| NEWSPAPER ARTICLE | “Mayor Warns of Budget Cuts” |
| SHORT STORY | “Everyday Use” |
| ESSAY | “Mother Tongue” |
Usually, titles of longer works — such as novels, books, magazines, newspapers, movies, television programs, and CDs — are italicized. The titles of sacred books such as the Bible or the Koran are neither italicized nor surrounded by quotation marks.
| BOOK | The Chocolate War |
| NEWSPAPER | the Washington Post [Do not italicize or capitalize the word the before the name of a newspaper or magazine, even if it is part of the title. But do capitalize The when it is the first word in titles of books, movies, and other sources.] |
If you are writing a paper with many outside sources, your instructor will probably refer you to a particular system of citing sources. Follow that system’s guidelines when you use titles in your paper.
NOTE: Do not put quotation marks around the title of a paper you write.