Quotation Marks

1. Quotation Marks By: Jessica Lashbrook Tabitha Hayden

2. Rule #1 • Quotation marks set off direct quotations. • Double quotation marks enclose words that are direct quotations. • Quotation marks are not used for paraphrases or for indirect quotations. • Single quotation marks enclose quotations within quotations. • Example) “we have been going together for two years, and now all of a sudden she says, ‘let’s be friends,’” Derek complained.

3. Rule #2 • Quotation marks enclose the titles of short works, such as stories, essays, poems, and songs. • Example) “Big Black Car,” by Lynn Emanuel, showed me how a good poem can make the ordinary seem extraordinary. (short poem)

4. Rule #3 • Quotation marks are sometimes used around a word or phrase to convey an ironic tone. • Example) His “gourmet” dinner turned out to be processed turkey and instant mashed potatoes.

5. Rule #4 • Placement of other punctuation marks relative to quotation marks depends on the context. • “Amanda,” she said, “we need to talk.” • Semicolons and colons are place outside quotation marks.