English
Guidelines for Using Quotation Marks

• Use double quotation marks to enclose the exact words of a speaker or writer; eg., “I believe you,” Mr. Fotheringham replied, “but others may not.”
• Use single quotation marks to enclose quoted passages within a quoted passage; eg., In her speech Mrs. Drake remarked, “ I believe it was the poet Robert Frost who said, ‘All the fun’s in how you say a thing.’”
• Slang, words used in a special sense, and words following stamped or marked are often enclosed within quotation marks; eg., Billy described the contents of the box as “gross.” Students often misspell the word “separate.” The package was stamped “Fragile.”
• Double quotation marks are used to enclose definitions. The word or expression being defined should be underscored or set in italics; eg., The term penetration pricing is defined as “The practice of introducing a product to the market at a low price.”
• Use double quotation marks to enclose titles of literary and artistic works, such as magazine and newspaper articles, chapters of books, movies, television shows, poems, lectures, and songs. Names of major publications—such as books, magazines, pamphlets, and newspapers—are set in italics (underscored) or typed in capital letters; eg., Candice’s article, “Butterflies,” appeared recently in The Vancouver Sun.
• Periods and commas are always placed inside closing quotation marks. Semicolons and colons, on the other hand, are always placed outside quotation marks; eg., Janet said to Tom, “I won’t go out with you if you insist on calling me ‘Babe.’” The president asked for “absolute security”: all written communications were to be destroyed.
• Question marks and exclamation marks may go inside or outside closing quotation marks, as determined by the form of the quotation. The following four sentences provide examples:
  • Jean asked, “Who ordered the cake?” (The quotation is a question.)
  • When did Jean ask, “Who ordered the cake?” (Both the incorporating sentence and the quotation are questions.)
  • Did Jean say, “Rudolf ordered the cake”? (The incorporating sentence asks the question; the quotation does not.)
  • “In the future,” shouted Jean, “ask me first!” (The quotation is an exclamation.)