Quotation marks (" " or ' '), or inverted commas, are inserted at the start and end of direct quotations to indicate that what they enclose represents actual spoken words:"Stand to attention!" the Major barked.
"Come in," she whispered, "but don't make a noise." The quotation marks surround only the actual words spoken and include any punctuation that forms part of the quotation (as shown in the first example above). Note that in the case of commas and periods the comma or period comes before the closing quotation marks (as in the second example).Quotation marks are not used in reference to reported speech, although they might be used for specific phrases that the writer wishes to highlight as having been actually spoken:He called the whole business "a regrettable misunderstanding." Alternatively, they may be used to convey to the reader that a particular word or phrase is not one the writer would normally choose to use:The spokesman said the secretary of state was "chilling" after a busy day. In American English, double quotation marks are preferred; in British English single quotation marks are used. Whichever is used, the other form is kept in reserve for any quoted material that falls within a quotation:"I remember that his last words were 'I shall return.'" [American English]
'His mother always said "Life is for living."' [British English] Quotation marks are used to render titles of short works such as poems or individual song titles and unpublished works. They are also sometimes used for title of works in general, as is customary in newspapers.Quotation marks may also be employed to indicate words that are slang or are otherwise out of context:The jazz they play is of the "hot" variety. When quotation marks are used in this manner they can sometimes convey an ironic or even sarcastic attitude:Calling graffiti "art" is stretching a point.
His "talent" is no more than a gift for attracting a great deal of attention without actually doing anything. On other occasions quotation marks are employed around definitions or interpretations:Halcyon means "peaceful, calm, prosperous, idyllic." It is incorrect to add a period after a quotation that already has a period, question mark, or exclamation mark before the closing quotation mark:"This could be the biggest shock in the history of the game!" Also note that if the material enclosed by the quotation marks constitutes a complete sentence, it should always begin with a capital letter:She murmured, "Pay up, and this will be the last time you will ever see me."
The detective lit a cigarette and asked, "Where were you last night around eleven?" Whereas periods and commas following quotations should be placed in front of the closing quotation marks, semicolons and colons should be placed afterward:This is not what I call "playing the game," unless you can explain your action.
This is not what I call "playing the game"; that is, the same rules must apply to all. Exclamation points, question marks, and dashes that do not punctuate the quoted material should appear outside the quotation marks:Are you sure she said "I killed him"?
It is simply impossible for you just to wash your hands of it and say "it has nothing to do with me"! Sometimes quotations are of considerable length and extend beyond a single paragraph. In such circumstances, opening quotation marks are placed at the beginning of each new paragraph, but closing quotation marks are put in place only when the quotation finally ends:The detective addressed the group of suspects: "My theory that the murder was committed by one of the people in this room still stands. Nothing the major has told us alters the fact that when Mrs. Clitheroe went out onto the veranda, someone must have been waiting for her. That someone is here now. That someone not only knows who killed the doctor, but also where the diamonds are.
"Let us cast our minds back to what the young policeman said when he first discovered the body. He remarked that it was strange that the grass under the corpse was wet, when according to the version of events suggested by the inspector it only started raining after the murder must have already happened. The grass under the body, therefore, should have been dry."
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