Quotation: marking quoted speech, titles of minor works and terms

Quotation Marks

Marking quoted speech, titles of minor works and terms

Restating Speech or Written Words

STYLE MANUAL GUIDELINES	EXAMPLE
When we quote someone, we take their words and restate them. To be fair to the author or speaker, we have to be careful not to add, omit or edit the quotation in any way that might change its intended meaning. Because the quotation is taken out of its original context, there is always a danger of misquoting.	Place the quoted speech inside quotation marks. All periods, commas and exclamation marks go inside the quotation marks. (Quotation marks, inverted commas, may vary in British English)
1. THE QUOTE Place quoted speech inside quotation marks. Place the period inside the final quotation mark. For a dialog, indent the lines. Begin each part with the speaker's name in capital letters followed by a period. (MLA 3.74)	QUOTATION MARKS FOR DIALOG In this scene, Eric and Lisa interpret their parting words differently: ERIC. “I’ll call you later.” indented LISA. “OK. When?” ERIC. “Soon.” LISA. “OK. Bye until then.”
2. THE QUOTE COMPLETES THE SENTENCE A quotation may also be included as the subject or predicate of a clause. Place the period inside the quotation mark when it occurs at the end of the sentence. Also see Reported Speech and Subj-Predicate.	FINAL PERIOD He said the proverb is “too old to know where it came from.” completes the sentence The coach said that Jason “is the number one hitter in the country.” “Time is money ” is a proverb so old that no one knows where it came from.
3. THE QUOTE AFTER THE STATEMENT Place a comma after the text that introduces the author or speaker of the quoted material.	COMMA He said, “Time is money.” a proverb *He said that time was money. Reported speech a proverb loses its meaning in reported speech
4. THE QUOTE BEFORE THE STATEMENT Place a comma inside the quotation mark before the author or speaker of the quoted material.	COMMA “Time is money, ” he said.
5. A QUESTION WITH A QUOTE When asking a question that includes a quote, place the question mark after the end quotation mark. Do not add a period or comma inside the quotation mark – one mark, the question mark, is enough.	QUESTION MARK OUTSIDE Have you heard the proverb, “Time is money ”?
6. A QUOTED QUESTION When quoting a question, place the question mark inside the end quotation mark.	QUESTION MARK INSIDE He asked, “What does that mean?” “What does that mean?” he asked.
7. EXCLAMATION Place an exclamation mark inside the end quotation mark The weaker mark (the comma) is left out.	EXLAMATION MARK INSIDE She said, “I agree!” / “I agree!” she said. NOT: “I agree,” she said!
8. A QUOTE WITHIN A QUOTE Place a single quote before and after a quotation inside of another quotation.	SINGLE / DOUBLE QUOTES She said, “My father used to say, ‘Time is money.’ ”
9. AN INTERRUPTED QUOTE Place a comma at the end of the first quote and period after the last quote when a quote is broken into two parts within a sentence. Place punctuation inside the quotation mark.	DOUBLE QUOTES Malcolm said, “All of us seem to make up our minds about other people in an instant,” and added, “without really doing any real thinking.”
10. A CONDENSED QUOTE / A QUOTE WITH AN OMISSION Place ellipsis points into a sentence to mark where words or sentences have been omitted from the original source. We do this to shorten a quote to the essential information. However, it is imp or ant that we not change the meaning or intent of the original. Keyboard character for ellipsis: Windows: ALT+0133, or Mac: Opt + ; (…) no spaces Typed ellipses: Use three periods with a space before each and a space after ( . . . ) Use three dots with a space after each. (MLA 3.7.5) Use three, spaced points for omitted material within a sentence Use four dots after a sentence when omitting material after the sentence (a period at the end of a sentence as well as the three dots.) (CMOS 11.55) Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word: three periods and two spaces. ( ... ) (APA 6.08)	ELLIPSIS / DOT DOT DOT Malcolm said, “All of us seem to make up our minds … in an instant.” mid-sentence: 3 dots Malcolm said, “It's a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. . . . Well, “Blink” is a book about those two seconds, because I think those instant conclusions that we reach are really powerful and really important and, occasionally, really good.” between sentences: 4 dots INFORMAL USES: Malcolm said, “…all of us seem to make up our minds in an instant.” beginning the sentence Malcolm said, “All of us seem to make up our minds in an instant….” ending the sentence– four dots Marcia said, “I have to leave…” trail off into silence Marcia said, “Yeah… I care.” pause (GREGG 291.c) Marcia screamed, “Help...” indicate something will be continued
11. INSERTING ADDITIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS Use brackets not parentheses to enclose an addition or explanation inserted in a quotation that is not from the original source and that is needed for clarification. (CMOS 11.68) (MLA 3.7.5 ) (APA 6.06) (AP 330 – not used)	BRACKETS [ ] Malcolm said, “They [the curators] changed their minds in an instant.”
12. INDICATING A STRANGE OR MISSPELLED WORD IN THE ORIGINAL Place the word sic in brackets directly after a word that is incorrect or is a strange usage. This lets the reader know that the error was not added by you and that it was in the source material. Thereafter, do not mark the same error. sic – Latin for thus or so Italicize the Latin word: sic and enclose with brackets when placed inside the quote, or parentheses when placed after the quote. (CMOS 11.69) Use brackets with sic when inside the quotation. Use parentheses when sic follows quotation. (MLA 3.7.5) Insert the word sic italicized and bracketed immediately after the error. APA 6.06) AP Style does not use sic. Instead it places a note at top of news article (AP 203)	(SIC) OR [SIC] She wrote, “There [sic] minds changed in an instant.” (inside the quotation) She wrote, “There minds changed in an instant” (sic). (after the quotation) She wrote, “There [There,] minds changed in an instant”. or add information She wrote, “There [Their] minds changed in an instant.”
13. ONE OR TWO SENTENCES Place the quotation in line with the rest of the text if the quotation is short, one or two sentences. If less than a paragraph (CMOS 11.72–84) If less than four lines (MLA 6.51-2) If under 40 words. (APA 6.03)	INTEXT QUOTE “You don't start at the top if you want to find the story. You start in the middle, because it's the people in the middle who do the actual work in the world,” writes Gladwell in the preface to What the Dog Saw. Include author's name and the page number. Give a bibliographic citation at the end of your writing or paper.
14. MULTIPLE LINES Place the quotation in an indented block using the same line spacing as the rest of the document. Cite your source at the end of the block and add the source to your bibliography. (MLA 6.2) If the quotation is more than a paragraph separate the quotation into a block quote. Format the block quote in the same way as the rest of the text. (CMOS 11.23-4 11.36) If a quotation extends to more than four lines when run into the text, set it off from your text by beginning a new line, indenting on inch from the left margin, and typing it double-spaced, without adding quotation marks. A colon generally introduces a quotation displayed in this way [block], though sometimes the context may require a different mark of punctuation or none at all. (MLA 3.7.2) If the quotation comprises 40 or more words, display it in a freestanding block of text and omit the quotation marks, Start such a block quotation on a new line and indent the block about a half inch from the left margin Double space the entire quotation . At the end of a block quotation, cite the quoted source and page or paragraph number in parentheses. (APA 6.03) Also see Citing Sources and In text Citations.	BLOCKQUOTE Thomas Friedman quotes Paul Gilding, the veteran Australian environmentalist-entrepreneur: How many people, lie on their death bed and say, 'I wish I had worked harder or built more shareholder value,' and how many say, 'I wish I had gone to more ball games, read more books to my kids, taken more walks?' To do that, you need a growth model based on giving people more time to enjoy life, but with less stuff. (Friedman, New York Times 7 Jun 2011) Bibliography (at end of paper) Gladwell, Malcom. What the Dog Saw. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2009, Print. Friedman, Thomas L. “The Earth is Full”. Editorial. New York Times. 7 Jun 2011. Web. 11 Jun 2011.

STYLE MANUAL GUIDELINES

EXAMPLE

When we quote someone, we take their words and restate them. To be fair to the author or speaker, we have to be careful not to add, omit or edit the quotation in any way that might change its intended meaning. Because the quotation is taken out of its original context, there is always a danger of misquoting.

Place the quoted speech inside quotation marks. All periods, commas and exclamation marks go inside the quotation marks. (Quotation marks, inverted commas, may vary in British English)

1. THE QUOTE

Place quoted speech inside quotation marks. Place the period inside the final quotation mark. For a dialog, indent the lines. Begin each part with the speaker's name in capital letters followed by a period. (MLA 3.74)

QUOTATION MARKS FOR DIALOG

In this scene, Eric and Lisa interpret their parting words differently:

ERIC. “I’ll call you later.” indented
LISA. “OK. When?”
ERIC. “Soon.”
LISA. “OK. Bye until then.”

2. THE QUOTE COMPLETES THE SENTENCE

A quotation may also be included as the subject or predicate of a clause. Place the period inside the quotation mark when it occurs at the end of the sentence.

Also see Reported Speech and Subj-Predicate.

FINAL PERIOD

He said the proverb is “too old to know where it came from.” completes the sentence
The coach said that Jason “is the number one hitter in the country.”
“Time is money ” is a proverb so old that no one knows where it came from.

3. THE QUOTE AFTER THE STATEMENT

Place a comma after the text that introduces the author or speaker of the quoted material.

COMMA

He said, “Time is money.” a proverb
*He said that time was money. Reported speech a proverb loses its meaning in reported speech

4. THE QUOTE BEFORE THE STATEMENT

Place a comma inside the quotation mark before the author or speaker of the quoted material.

COMMA

“Time is money, ” he said.

5. A QUESTION WITH A QUOTE

When asking a question that includes a quote, place the question mark after the end quotation mark. Do not add a period or comma inside the quotation mark – one mark, the question mark, is enough.

QUESTION MARK OUTSIDE

Have you heard the proverb, “Time is money ”?

6. A QUOTED QUESTION

When quoting a question, place the question mark inside the end quotation mark.

QUESTION MARK INSIDE

He asked, “What does that mean?”
“What does that mean?” he asked.

7. EXCLAMATION

Place an exclamation mark inside the end quotation mark The weaker mark (the comma) is left out.

EXLAMATION MARK INSIDE

She said, “I agree!” / “I agree!” she said.
NOT: “I agree,” she said!

8. A QUOTE WITHIN A QUOTE

Place a single quote before and after a quotation inside of another quotation.

SINGLE / DOUBLE QUOTES

She said, “My father used to say, ‘Time is money.’ ”

9. AN INTERRUPTED QUOTE

Place a comma at the end of the first quote and period after the last quote when a quote is broken into two parts within a sentence. Place punctuation inside the quotation mark.

DOUBLE QUOTES

Malcolm said, “All of us seem to make up our minds about other people in an instant,” and added, “without really doing any real thinking.”

10. A CONDENSED QUOTE / A QUOTE WITH AN OMISSION

Place ellipsis points into a sentence to mark where words or sentences have been omitted from the original source. We do this to shorten a quote to the essential information. However, it is imp or ant that we not change the meaning or intent of the original.

Keyboard character for ellipsis: Windows: ALT+0133, or Mac: Opt + ; (…) no spaces
Typed ellipses: Use three periods with a space before each and a space after ( . . . )

Use three dots with a space after each. (MLA 3.7.5)

Use three, spaced points for omitted material within a sentence Use four dots after a sentence when omitting material after the sentence (a period at the end of a sentence as well as the three dots.) (CMOS 11.55)

Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word: three periods and two spaces. ( ... ) (APA 6.08)

ELLIPSIS / DOT DOT DOT

Malcolm said, “All of us seem to make up our minds … in an instant.” mid-sentence: 3 dots

Malcolm said, “It's a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. . . . Well, “Blink” is a book about those two seconds, because I think those instant conclusions that we reach are really powerful and really important and, occasionally, really good.” between sentences: 4 dots

INFORMAL USES:
Malcolm said, “…all of us seem to make up our minds in an instant.” beginning the sentence
Malcolm said, “All of us seem to make up our minds in an instant….” ending the sentence– four dots

Marcia said, “I have to leave…” trail off into silence
Marcia said, “Yeah… I care.” pause (GREGG 291.c)
Marcia screamed, “Help...” indicate something will be continued

11. INSERTING ADDITIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS

Use brackets not parentheses to enclose an addition or explanation inserted in a quotation that is not from the original source and that is needed for clarification. (CMOS 11.68) (MLA 3.7.5 ) (APA 6.06) (AP 330 – not used)

BRACKETS [ ]

Malcolm said, “They [the curators] changed their minds in an instant.”

12. INDICATING A STRANGE OR MISSPELLED WORD IN THE ORIGINAL

Place the word sic in brackets directly after a word that is incorrect or is a strange usage. This lets the reader know that the error was not added by you and that it was in the source material. Thereafter, do not mark the same error. sic – Latin for thus or so

Italicize the Latin word: sic and enclose with brackets when placed inside the quote, or parentheses when placed after the quote. (CMOS 11.69)
Use brackets with sic when inside the quotation. Use parentheses when sic follows quotation. (MLA 3.7.5)
Insert the word sic italicized and bracketed immediately after the error. APA 6.06)
AP Style does not use sic. Instead it places a note at top of news article (AP 203)

(SIC) OR [SIC]

She wrote, “There [sic] minds changed in an instant.” (inside the quotation)
She wrote, “There minds changed in an instant” (sic). (after the quotation)

She wrote, “There [There,] minds changed in an instant”. or add information
She wrote, “There [Their] minds changed in an instant.”

13. ONE OR TWO SENTENCES

Place the quotation in line with the rest of the text if the quotation is short, one or two sentences.

If less than a paragraph (CMOS 11.72–84)
If less than four lines (MLA 6.51-2)
If under 40 words. (APA 6.03)

INTEXT QUOTE

“You don't start at the top if you want to find the story. You start in the middle, because it's the people in the middle who do the actual work in the world,” writes Gladwell in the preface to What the Dog Saw.

Include author's name and the page number. Give a bibliographic citation at the end of your writing or paper.

14. MULTIPLE LINES

Place the quotation in an indented block using the same line spacing as the rest of the document. Cite your source at the end of the block and add the source to your bibliography. (MLA 6.2)

If the quotation is more than a paragraph separate the quotation into a block quote. Format the block quote in the same way as the rest of the text. (CMOS 11.23-4 11.36)

If a quotation extends to more than four lines when run into the text, set it off from your text by beginning a new line, indenting on inch from the left margin, and typing it double-spaced, without adding quotation marks. A colon generally introduces a quotation displayed in this way [block], though sometimes the context may require a different mark of punctuation or none at all. (MLA 3.7.2)

If the quotation comprises 40 or more words, display it in a freestanding block of text and omit the quotation marks, Start such a block quotation on a new line and indent the block about a half inch from the left margin Double space the entire quotation . At the end of a block quotation, cite the quoted source and page or paragraph number in parentheses. (APA 6.03)

Also see Citing Sources and In text Citations.

BLOCKQUOTE

Thomas Friedman quotes Paul Gilding, the veteran Australian environmentalist-entrepreneur:

How many people, lie on their death bed and say, 'I wish I had worked harder or built more shareholder value,' and how many say, 'I wish I had gone to more ball games, read more books to my kids, taken more walks?' To do that, you need a growth model based on giving people more time to enjoy life, but with less stuff. (Friedman, New York Times 7 Jun 2011)

Bibliography (at end of paper)

Gladwell, Malcom. What the Dog Saw. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2009, Print.
Friedman, Thomas L. “The Earth is Full”. Editorial. New York Times. 7 Jun 2011. Web. 11 Jun 2011.

When mentioning a book, a bibliography should appear at the end of the paper or research. See Citing Sources

Note

QUOTED SPEECH	REPORTED SPEECH
In most situations, quoted speech can be changed to reported speech, but not:	Speech that is emotionally charged has more impact when left as quoted speech. Also, sayings and proverbs sound odd when changed to reported speech.
She cried, “Mom! Johnny hit me.”	She cried to her mother that her brother had hit her. The emotional impact is lost in reported speech.
He said, “Time is money.” a proverb	*He said that time was money. The proverb loses its impact in reported speech and in the past tense.

QUOTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH

In most situations, quoted speech can be changed to reported speech, but not:

Speech that is emotionally charged has more impact when left as quoted speech. Also, sayings and proverbs sound odd when changed to reported speech.

She cried, “Mom! Johnny hit me.”

She cried to her mother that her brother had hit her.
The emotional impact is lost in reported speech.

He said, “Time is money.” a proverb

*He said that time was money.
The proverb loses its impact in reported speech and in the past tense.

Also see Reported speech

Unicode character: (left double quote – “ right double quote ”)

Quotation Marks

Minor Works

Referring to parts of major works

STYLE MANUAL GUIDELINES	EXAMPLE
15. TITLES FOR PARTS OF BOOK, PERIODICALS Enclose in quotation marks: chapters of books, poems in collected works of poems, articles in periodicals (magazines, newspapers, and journals).	QUOTES The book Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness includes the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”. (2004) In the Time Magazine article “Near the Madding Crowds.” Vilano warns the national parks to prepare for a large number of visitors this year. (25 Apr 2011)
16. TITLES FOR PARTS OF FILMS, VIDEOS & AUDIO RECORDINGS Enclose in quotation marks: television episodes, scenes in films or videos, chapters in audio recordings ( audio books)	QUOTES In the Wall Street Journal article, “Apple Surpasses HP as Largest Buyer of Chips,”Jack Swanson asserts… Jim Dale performs eleven different voices for characters in “Lord Voldemort's Request” in the audiobook recording of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the episode “House of the Rising Sun” of Lost, the television series, we learn why Jin was on ill-fated flight 815.
17. TITLES FOR PARTS OF MUSIC, DANCE, PLAYS Enclose in quotation marks: tiles of songs within albums, dances within dance performances, scenes within plays.	QUOTES “Norwegian Wood”, written by John Lennon, was a track on the Rubber Soul album. Lady Gaga's Born This Way includes the song “Edge of Glory”. “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies”, from The Nutcracker, is one of the best known in ballet.
18. TITLES FOR PARTS OF VISUAL WORKS OF ART Enclose in quotation marks smaller works that make up a series, an album or a book. (paintings, photographs)	QUOTES In Lee Friedlander's, book America by Car, the photograph of the same name “America by car” reveals a complex visual composition filled with wit and nostalgia. (Whitney 2010 )
19. TITLES FOR WEB PAGS / E-MAIL MESSAGES Enclose in quotation marks the title of a Web page within a Web site, and the title (subject line) of an email.	QUOTES I used Wikipedia.com to find the Web page “Puccini”. Sara Palin “Re: Alaskan Natural Gas.” Message to J. McCain. 24 June 2008. E-mail.

STYLE MANUAL GUIDELINES

EXAMPLE

15. TITLES FOR PARTS OF BOOK, PERIODICALS

Enclose in quotation marks: chapters of books, poems in collected works of poems, articles in periodicals (magazines, newspapers, and journals).

QUOTES

The book Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness includes the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”. (2004)

In the Time Magazine article “Near the Madding Crowds.” Vilano warns the national parks to prepare for a large number of visitors this year. (25 Apr 2011)

16. TITLES FOR PARTS OF FILMS, VIDEOS & AUDIO RECORDINGS

Enclose in quotation marks: television episodes, scenes in films or videos, chapters in audio recordings ( audio books)

QUOTES

In the Wall Street Journal article, “Apple Surpasses HP as Largest Buyer of Chips,”Jack Swanson asserts…

Jim Dale performs eleven different voices for characters in “Lord Voldemort's Request” in the audiobook recording of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the episode “House of the Rising Sun” of Lost, the television series, we learn why Jin was on ill-fated flight 815.

17. TITLES FOR PARTS OF MUSIC, DANCE, PLAYS

Enclose in quotation marks: tiles of songs within albums, dances within dance performances, scenes within plays.

QUOTES

“Norwegian Wood”, written by John Lennon, was a track on the Rubber Soul album.

Lady Gaga's Born This Way includes the song “Edge of Glory”.

“The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies”, from The Nutcracker, is one of the best known in ballet.

18. TITLES FOR PARTS OF VISUAL WORKS OF ART

Enclose in quotation marks smaller works that make up a series, an album or a book. (paintings, photographs)

QUOTES

In Lee Friedlander's, book America by Car, the photograph of the same name “America by car” reveals a complex visual composition filled with wit and nostalgia. (Whitney 2010 )

19. TITLES FOR WEB PAGS / E-MAIL MESSAGES

Enclose in quotation marks the title of a Web page within a Web site, and the title (subject line) of an email.

QUOTES

I used Wikipedia.com to find the Web page “Puccini”.

Sara Palin “Re: Alaskan Natural Gas.” Message to J. McCain. 24 June 2008. E-mail.

Quotation Marks

Other uses

Unusual Terms

STYLE MANUAL GUIDELINES	EXAMPLE
20. UNUSUAL SENSE OF A WORD Enclose a word that is used in a different sense in quotes. Only the first use of the word need be placed in quotes. (MLA 3.2.9a) (CMOS 7.59) (APA 4.07) Slang should be enclosed in quotations marks if it is foreign to normal vocabulary. Do not put colloquial terms in quotation marks. CMOS 7.61 Slang refers to informal (and often transient) lexical items used by a specific social group. Colloquial speech is informal, relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker.	QUOTES His “friend” was the one who caused his ruin. irony His so-called friend caused his ruin. (or use so-called) SLANG When he took of his shirt, it looked like he was still wearing a sweater. I think a little “manscaping” is in order. (unfamiliar or new word) DO NOT INCLUDE COLLOQUIAL USAGE He noodled over the problem for a day or two before making a decision. (No quotes or italics needed because noodled is in the dictionary.)
21. FOREIGN WORDS Only the AP Stylebook (Associate Press) uses quotes for foreign words. This is because italics do not work well within their electronic environment (over the wire.) Also see Italics Note In electronic environments that do not permit italicization, it is common to place one underline before and after each word or group of words that would be italicized in print. _Casablanca_ (MLA 3.3) In addition, text fields and text boxes on Web pages do not support formatting text in italics.	ITALICS / QUOTES Blake's “joie de vivre”makes him a favorite among friends. (AP) Blake's joie de vivre makes him a favorite among friends. (foreign words — CMOS, APA, MLA)

STYLE MANUAL GUIDELINES

EXAMPLE

20. UNUSUAL SENSE OF A WORD

Enclose a word that is used in a different sense in quotes. Only the first use of the word need be placed in quotes. (MLA 3.2.9a) (CMOS 7.59) (APA 4.07)

Slang should be enclosed in quotations marks if it is foreign to normal vocabulary. Do not put colloquial terms in quotation marks. CMOS 7.61

Slang refers to informal (and often transient) lexical items used by a specific social group.

Colloquial speech is informal, relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker.

QUOTES

His “friend” was the one who caused his ruin. irony
His so-called friend caused his ruin. (or use so-called)

SLANG
When he took of his shirt, it looked like he was still wearing a sweater. I think a little “manscaping” is in order. (unfamiliar or new word)

DO NOT INCLUDE COLLOQUIAL USAGE
He noodled over the problem for a day or two before making a decision. (No quotes or italics needed because noodled is in the dictionary.)

21. FOREIGN WORDS

Only the AP Stylebook (Associate Press) uses quotes for foreign words. This is because italics do not work well within their electronic environment (over the wire.)

Also see Italics

Note In electronic environments that do not permit italicization, it is common to place one underline before and after each word or group of words that would be italicized in print. _Casablanca_ (MLA 3.3)

In addition, text fields and text boxes on Web pages do not support formatting text in italics.

ITALICS / QUOTES

Blake's “joie de vivre”makes him a favorite among friends. (AP)
Blake's joie de vivre makes him a favorite among friends. (foreign words — CMOS, APA, MLA)

Common Mistakes

ERROR	FIX
She's my “girl friend”. She is a “girl” and a “friend”.	She is my “girlfriend”. Use quotes to express a different sense of the world. She is a girl and a friend. Use no quotes when using a word in its normal sense.
The brain of Watson, Jeopardy's IBM computer, works differently from the brains of the contestants. It examines and eliminates all wrong possibilities.	The “brain” of Watson, Jeopardy's IBM computer, works differently… Use quotes to express a different sense of the world. The system logic of Watson... Use more precise, appropriate wording.
My great success as a comedian occurred when I fell off the stage and the audience thought it was hilarious. hilarious – extremely funny	My great “success” as a comedian occurred when… Use quotes to express irony.

ERROR

FIX

She's my “girl friend”. She is a “girl” and a “friend”.

She is my “girlfriend”.
Use quotes to express a different sense of the world.

She is a girl and a friend.
Use no quotes when using a word in its normal sense.

The brain of Watson, Jeopardy's IBM computer, works differently from the brains of the contestants. It examines and eliminates all wrong possibilities.

The “brain” of Watson, Jeopardy's IBM computer, works differently…
Use quotes to express a different sense of the world.

The system logic of Watson...
Use more precise, appropriate wording.

My great success as a comedian occurred when I fell off the stage and the audience thought it was hilarious. hilarious – extremely funny

My great “success” as a comedian occurred when…
Use quotes to express irony.

Resources

AP Stylebook. The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (AP). 42nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2007. Print. (333)
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (MLA). 7th ed. NewYork: Modern Language Association of America. 2009. Print. (3.7.7)
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press(CMOS), 2003. Print. (11.33)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). 6th ed. Washington, D.C: American Psychological Association, 2010. Print. (4.07-8)
Sabin, William A.The Gregg Reference Manual:A manual of Style(GREGG), Grammar, Usage, and Formatting. 11th ed. New York: McGraw–Hill, 2011. Print. (227-291)

Practice 1

Running Into an Old Friend

Is the quotation punctuated correctly?

Select the option: correct or incorrect.
Read the feedback to check your response.

#	SENTENCE & FEEDBACK	SELECT THE SENTENCE SUBJECT
1.	Eric said, “Hello, Lisa”!	Correct Incorrect Feedback 1
2.	“Hello Eric”; she said “How have you been doing?”	Correct Incorrect Feedback 2
3.	“Pretty good.” he said. (informal)	Correct Incorrect Feedback 3
4.	He asked, “What's new with you?”	Correct Incorrect Feedback 4
5.	“A lot of things.” “Let's get some coffee and talk,” she responded.	Correct Incorrect Feedback 5
6.	Eric inquired, “A friend said, ‘Lisa is getting married.’ ”	Correct Incorrect Feedback 6
7.	“What you heard through the “grapevine” is old news. We broke up.” she lamented.	Correct Incorrect Feedback 7
8.	“I\'m sad to hear that. Ubi amor, ibi dolor,” responded Eric. ubi amor, ibi dolor — Latin where [there is] love, there [is] pain	Correct Incorrect Feedback 8

Also see Said Synonyms

Practice 2

Negotiating a Car Deal

Complete the quotation.

Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the check button to the right.

#	YOUR RESPONSE	CHECK YOUR ANSWER
9.	My friend told me that	reported speech
10.	"I got a good deal on it." deal – a bargain, good price
11.	I asked,
12.	He replied, Then, he looked at me and waited for my response.
13.	I looked down, added, and then paused,
14.	he said, "I will lower it another $200."
15.	"I'll take it!" I told him. Don't you agree

Practice 3

Quotes from Stories, Myths and Film

Edit the sentence.

Write your corrections for the sentence in the text area
Then compare your response to the answer with the "check" button.

#	YOUR RESPONSE	CHECK YOUR ANSWER
16.	The White Rabbit said I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date. No time to say "Hello." Goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! (Lewis Carroll. Alice in Wonderland. 1951.film) EDIT THIS: The White Rabbit said I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date. No time to say "Hello." Goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!
17.	When asked if one should end a sentence with a preposition, Churchill replied That is a rule up with which I shall not put. (source unknown – story) EDIT THIS: When asked if one should end a sentence with a preposition, Churchill replied That is a rule up with which I shall not put.
18.	Who cut down my cherry tree? asked George Washington's father. I cannot tell a lie said George I cut down your cherry tree. (Parson Weems 1800 print) EDIT THIS: Who cut down my cherry tree? asked George Washington's father. — I cannot tell a lie said George I cut down your cherry tree.
19.	Dorothy looked around and remarked to her dog Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more. (L. Frank Baum.The Wizard of Oz. 1938. film) EDIT THIS: Dorothy looked around and remarked to her dog Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.
20.	The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook said Julia Child (Julia Child TV chef) EDIT THIS: The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook said Julia Child
21.	My friend said Plato said wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. (Attributed to Plato, 427 – 347 BC) EDIT THIS: My friend said Plato said wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something
22.	Scarlet: Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do? Rhett Butler: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. (Gone with the Wind. 1939. dialog) EDIT THIS: Scarlett - Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do? / Rhett Butler - Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

Grammar-Quizzes.com

PRACTICE ON POINTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Quotation Marks

Marking quoted speech, titles of minor works and terms

Restating Speech or Written Words

Note

Quotation Marks

Minor Works

Referring to parts of major works

Quotation Marks

Other uses

Unusual Terms

Common Mistakes

Resources

Practice 1

Running Into an Old Friend

Is the quotation punctuated correctly?

Practice 2

Negotiating a Car Deal

Complete the quotation.

Practice 3

Quotes from Stories, Myths and Film

Edit the sentence.