Whether you want to liven up your book’s scenes with dialogue or simply give credit where it’s due in your research paper, you’ll need to use quotation marks to attribute words to a speaker.
There are some specific rules you’ll need to follow, however, especially once you throw in other punctuations or mix quotes within quotes.
Quotation marks should be used to directly quote the words of someone else, with titles of short works, and when indicating certain words as words.
Use quotation marks when you want to use the exact words of someone else in your writing.
For example:
“It’s getting late,” John said. “Maybe we should go home.”
Note that you could also relay what John said without a direct quotation:
John said it’s getting late and maybe we should go home.
Quotes like the example above are usually best suited for creative writing.
If you were sending a text to a friend, for instance, you would probably use the second method and simply relay what John said.
In fiction, however, quotations are used to create dialogue, and dialogue is an excellent way to let your characters speak for themselves and move the plot along more naturally.
In nonfiction, quotes are usually included to present information from other sources. However, if information is simply being paraphrased, quotation marks are not needed.
Run-in quotations are shorter quotes (like the examples above) that take the same format as the regular text that surrounds it.
Block quotes, on the other hand, are longer quotes that are separated from their surrounding text. Although they are direct quotes, direct quotes do not need quotation marks because they are usually separated from the text (in a new paragraph with indented margins, a different font style, or by some other distinction).
Refer to your designated style guide for specific rules regarding how long a quote should be before it becomes a block quote (although five or more lines is generally a good rule).
Example:
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches often utilized parallel structure to emphasize key points. One example can be found in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
Most style guides dictate that titles of books, films, magazines, newspapers, and other large works be italicized.
Titles of shorter works, such as poems, chapter titles, and short stories, are placed in quotation marks.
Examples:
“Mad Girl’s Love Song” is a poem by Sylvia Plath.
He’s currently on Chapter 2, “How to Teach Your Dog to Roll Over.”
“A Sound of Thunder” is a short story by Ray Bradbury.
In some cases, such as when you’re defining a word, you need to indicate which word you’re referring to. Use quotation marks to make this clear.
For example:
“SEO” is short for search engine optimization.
The word “tranquil” is synonymous with “calm.”
There are several key grammatical rules to keep in mind when using quotation marks in your writing.
If you’re quoting a complete sentence, the quotation should start with a capital letter (even if your sentence doesn’t begin with the quote).
For example:
Mark explained, “There aren’t enough rooms available for everyone at the house.”
If you are only quoting a particular phrase or selection of words—not a complete sentence—then your quotation should not start with capital letters.
Example:
Mark explained that there “weren’t enough rooms” at the house.
If you are splitting a complete sentence in half to insert a parenthetical, then the second half of the quote should not be capitalized.
Example:
“The problem,” Mark explained, “is that there aren’t enough rooms for everyone.”
When quotations contain complete sentences, there is often confusion about where the quotation marks should be placed.
Commas and periods should always go inside quotation marks. Other ending punctuations, like question marks, are placed inside the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted material.
“Is it really necessary?” Sandy asked.
In the example above, Sandy is asking a question, so the question mark is placed inside the quotation marks.
Did Tommy tell you that these things are “really necessary”?
Here, an unnamed writer is asking if Tommy used the precise words “really necessary”; she is asking a question, but she is only quoting two words.
Tina loved everything about the “Eternal City”: its monuments, its river, and especially its food.
The “Eternal City” is in quotation marks because it is a name commonly used to describe Rome. The colon is placed outside, because it is not part of the name.
If you want to quote something that already contains a quote, do not use double quotation marks.
“”The Road Not Taken” is my favorite poem,” Michelle said.
Instead, use single quotation marks (‘ ‘) for quotes within quotes.
“‘The Road Not Taken’ is my favorite poem,” Michelle said.
If you’re writing for a British audience, note that the British style calls for only single quotation marks (‘ ‘), except when there is a quote within a quote, in which case the double quotation marks are employed.
Example:
‘I love your dress, where did you get it?’ she asked the girl.
Additionally, the British also leave punctuation marks that are not part of the quote, such as commas, outside of the quotation marks.
Example:
‘It’s such a lovely day’, said Mary, ‘we should go for a walk.’
Rules for proper use of quotation marks may vary between Chicago, AP, MLA, and other style guides.
When in doubt, always refer to your style guide for the most up to date, accurate information for your specific kind of writing.
Quotes can liven up your fiction with dialogue or help you ace your next research paper with the expert words of others.
Make sure you know how to properly include quotation marks to make your writing more precise and effective.
Do you have any tricks for remembering how to use quotation marks? Share them in the comments below!
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Hi Kaelyn
I’m writing a biographical book about my great grandparents and I’m wondering how to show when they receive a letter from home. Does the written text of the letter need to be separated by single quotes? Just wondering what the rule was for that situation. Thank you so much.
Hi Deedy, thanks for your question! For a letter, the best thing to do is indent the entire text of the letter so it’s clear it’s separate. You can italicize it or not (I’ve seen both, but no quotes necessary :)
Lloyd on September 13, 2021 at 1:23 amHi Kaelyn, As a novelist, I use characters that talk a lot for a long time. When I move on to a different thought from the character in the next paragraph, do I have to use open quotes? Or do I just continue writing without the open (“) quote?
Cole Salao on September 18, 2021 at 9:24 amHi Lloyd! Thanks for the question. Personally, I think it’s best if you still use the open quote. It’s a visual indication that your character is still talking, so it confuses the reader less. I do also suggest breaking up the dialogue with some exposition. From my experience, long dialogues/monologues often disrupt the scene, making it hard to remember what else is happening aside from the characters talking.
Rick on July 30, 2021 at 6:29 pmHow should I write what a sign reads/says? Should it be in quotations? All caps? Both? (ex. The sign reads: “PROCESSING.”) Thanks in advance for all you do! Rick (Author of The Fifth Plane and the upcoming novel The Last Sand Granules)
Kaelyn Barron on August 10, 2021 at 5:15 pmHi Rick, thanks for your comment! It doesn’t matter so much which style you choose so long as you’re consistent. In general, though, I wouldn’t put it in a ll caps unless you want to emphasize that the actual sign was in all caps. If you’re using a colon, you might even drop the quotation marks, but keep them if you use a comma.
Marcus Mendes on July 19, 2021 at 5:32 pmHello Kaelyn, if you would please, let me know how can I emphasize the quotation when reading a text?
Shall I say: start quote “riding upon the air” end quote, is an Oriental phrase…
Hi Marcus, thanks for your question! You have a few options. I wouldn’t recommend using quote/end quote. You could simply write the quotation in quotation marks, like this: “Riding upon the air” is an Oriental phrase. OR, you could say: The phrase “riding upon the air” is Oriental in origin.
Kathryne on March 6, 2021 at 9:43 pmIn writing a story I was told that I need to keep it separate like this.
Mike asked, “Are you going to eat that?”
“No.” answered John.
Hi Kathryne, yes, the two speakers should appear on different lines. However, if you want to attribute “No” that way, it should have a comma and not a period.
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