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Questions tagged [quotation-marks]

Punctuation used to delimit quotes within a sentence.

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Why are quotation marks omitted from this passage from a book from 1897? [duplicate]

In William James's The Will to Believe, he writes: After all, though, you will say, Why so much ado about a matter concerning which, however we may theoretically differ, we practically agree? Later, ...
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Placement order of ellipsis, punctuation, and footnote reference mark in block excerpt

Dealing with an extended block quotation that must retain its internal and original footnote reference markers to sources. The block quotation comprises several paragraphs with a number of ellipses ...
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How do you mark English words originally used by a non-native author in an English translation?

An artist has written memoirs in his native language with some English words and phrases scattered here and there (some might even have spelling / grammar mistakes). His memoirs are translated into ...
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How do you use single quotes and possessive apostrophe on same word?

I'd like to write .. using OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo model .. except the word 'OpenAI' must be in single quotes (it's a requirement of the institution I'm writing for). 'OpenAI''s seems like the most ...
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Why is the right single quotation mark used as the apostrophe?

I think that quotation marks are for quoting, and the apostrophe is used for its own things. But it is often suggested that the right single quotation mark (’) should be used instead of the apostrophe ...
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How do I use question marks in quotes in quotes? [duplicate]

For example, would I write: "What do you mean by, 'It's not over yet?'" Or "What do you mean by, 'It's not over yet'?" The thing the speaker is quoting is not a question, so where ...
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Should a sound be capitalized or punctuated with "!" in the middle of a sentence?

He ran fast as the wind out of the cave when the rock went "clunk" on his head. I am not sure how to write clunk here. ...went "Clunk!" on his head. ...went "clunk" on ...
bill's user avatar
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What is the accepted style for using a foreign term followed by its translation?

How do you show a foreign term followed by its translation? Is the foreign term placed in quotation marks with its translation italicized or the other way around? Style guides favor but don't always ...
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Quotation Marks: One or two sets of quotation marks around a quotation consisting of an incomplete sentence followed by a complete sentence [closed]

I know that one set of quotation marks around a quotation consisting of two complete sentences is correct. Do you still use one set of quotation marks if the quotation begins in the middle of the ...
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Quotation mark use (one word) in software engineering paper

I'm currently researching the origins of a well known software engineering model - the waterfall model. The paper most cited for the model didn't invent the model, but rather said that it doesnt work ...
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Why do these quotation marks result in text inconsistencies according to Grammarly?

I submitted my writing to Grammarly and apparently the quotation marks result in text inconsistencies. Can anyone point out the error with my quotation marks? Apparently all three pairs are ...
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Style guide where single quotes can be used to represent concepts

In the following opinion piece in the Spectator written by a Dutch author he uses single quotation marks to represent or highlight concepts rather than direct speech. Here are three example of him ...
A Dark Divided Gem's user avatar
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Use of Single Quotation Marks Before Period/Comma/Question Mark/Exclamation Point [closed]

this is request for clarification on the rules for single quotation marks (apostrophe symbol on keyboard) in novels. My understanding is that single quotation marks, when used to indicate a quote ...
Danny D.'s user avatar
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1 answer
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How do I write a quotation mark inside quotation mark?

I know that the convention is to use a single quotation inside double quotation marks. But what do I do when I must quote double quotation marks? For instance, suppose I type "adv:Monday" in ...
Jim O.'s user avatar
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The use of italics/citation marks for metalanguage

I've been taught that when words are used metalinguistically, they should be marked either with italics or with double quotation marks. Examples: Dog is a noun. Verlan is the name of a kind of ...
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Question about capitalization after a colon, as well as a few others going on in an otherwise-unimportant sentence I wrote [duplicate]

Not exactly a life-or-death situation here, it's just a YouTube comment I'm in the process of typing in a discussion on movies, the MCU, and the MCU's version of Spider-Man. Sometimes, I write a ...
Goldenfoxx's user avatar
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"The" inside or outside quotation marks when naming a thesis

When stating the name of a scientific thesis or principle, for example, "the theory of evolution," should "the" be inside or outside the quotation marks? Put simply, which option ...
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2 answers
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Are there cases where a closing quotation mark has no matching opening one?

Early on, we learn the general rule that quotation marks come in pairs and, usually later, we come upon the exception: an opening quotation mark that has no matching closing one. MLA Handbook: When a ...
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Double Quotes Within Double Quotes [duplicate]

I can't find anything that addresses how to quote a sentence that contains a word in double quotes. Here's the quote (also a sentence fragment). and a catchall “other” bin. Also, is it proper to use ...
Mark Hollinger's user avatar
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How would you punctuate someone referring to themselves by a nickname? [duplicate]

Being the "family freeloader," as Tom liked to call himself, he felt as though he had no right to complain. Should the comma come after the quotation marks, or is the current placement ...
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How to use quotation marks when quoting more than one paragraphs?

When quoting on a website like Stack Exchange, we have block quotes: like these but if they aren't available, and I want to use "double quotation marks": "then the quote is enclosed ...
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1 answer
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Where do I put the period when I'm quoting?

If I quote someone, the quote ends in a period, and I end the sentence with the quote, where do I put the period? Inside the quotation marks or outside the quotation marks? I'm tempted to put a period ...
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Alternative to using multiple quotation marks in a sentence for easier reading?

A character is going through file names on a computer. Short works usually go in quotes instead of being italicized, but is there a way to make this read less clunkily? I went to his folder labeled “...
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How do I introduce a quoted clause within an independent clause?

How do we introduce a quoted clause within an independent clause? For example, when talking about why we say, "John passes away or passed away." How do we write it in a sentence? My sentence ...
Umer Malik's user avatar
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Pluralizing Quotations [duplicate]

Is there a way to properly pluralize a quotation, if I must and can't just rearrange the sentence to avoid it (or do not wish to rearrange it for artistic purposes)? Example: We exchanged many "...
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Using single quotation marks for shorter quotes, and double quotation marks for longer ones?

Background This website has had a fair share of questions on the use of single versus double quotation marks. The most popular question on this topic is a good resource on their use in American and ...
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Quotation marks vs Italics for sourcing articles

I wanted to source an online article (just a regular one, not part of a longer work) and was unsure whether to use quotation marks or italics. I know that it is generally advised to use quotation ...
Tech333's user avatar
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Capitalization for unique title and quotations trickiness in inner thought

So, I have been writing and wonder whether to capitalize the word "master." No rush here, I know that without name the word like this won't be capitalized. But if it use as a substitute for ...
Gerry Giovan's user avatar
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1 answer
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How do I punctuate a direct statement within a sentence? [duplicate]

In the following sentence, how do I set apart the suggested statement? Tell your students, "You are close, but that only works if the equation uses addition. Since the equation uses ...
editormn's user avatar
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1 answer
416 views

Quoted Possessives Ending in "s"

"The Best Punctuation Book, Period," by June Casagrande, says that, when forming the possessive of text in quotation marks, we do this: “Casablanca” ’s best scene I love it! The ending ...
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Quotation marks in "call it [something] for short"

It seems that many (most of?) newspapers and journals don't use quotation marks in constructions like "call it [something] for short". Or even italic. Is it really okay to keep it plain? No ...
john c. j.'s user avatar
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Grammar: “Thought” [duplicate]

I saw this sentence in a composition and I don’t know whether it is grammatically correct: He is so cute, I thought. Firstly, since the whole composition is in past tense, is it correct to use “is” ...
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How to highlight model or category names in scientific text (if they are ordinary words)?

For example, there are two sentences The government is considering that the crisis will follow a soft scenario ... Dr. Jones has calculated soft and hard crisis scenarios. The input data was ... In ...
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Should you use quotation marks when transcribing an interview in which the speakers are identified before each quote?

I apologize if the title is unclear, as I couldn't find a great way to phrase this. What I'm asking is, which of the following would be correct? Interviewer: Good morning, thank you for joining me. ...
will1howell's user avatar
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1 answer
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Should you start a new paragraph for a new speaker if both speakers are contained in the same quoted passage?

This manuscript quotes a passage from the Bible that has more than one speaker: Job 1:6–7 says: One day, when the angels had gathered around the Lord, and Satan was there with them, the Lord asked,...
Arthur Graves's user avatar
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Can you ever put a name into quotation marks when introducing?

As I understand it, quotation marks are used when we refer to a word instead of something external to the word. Hence I use the word "I" to refer to me. When we introduce somebody by nickname, we ...
sup's user avatar
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Can I use .". if I want both to end a sentence and to indicate that there was a period ending the sentence that I just quoted? [duplicate]

For example: In the original publication, the last sentence of the Introduction is: “I love dogs.”. This sentence should be replaced by: “I love cats.”.
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How do I start a sentence after a quote that did not end with a period

I have the following Erratum: The Editors regret that in the original article two formulations are misleading for the reader: In the original publication, the last sentence of the Introduction is: “...
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What quotation marks are used for the 3rd quote? [duplicate]

I know that the nested quotes are usually punctuated as follows (British usage): [...] and then he said: 'I will always remember Churchill's "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" ...
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Does the comma go inside or outside the end quote when the subject speaks and then does an action [duplicate]

I have the following sentence and am struggling to work out where the comma goes. Should it be: She said, 'I understand', and walked away. or She said, 'I understand,' and walked away. Many ...
JCW's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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How can I unambiguously differentiate between the absence or presence of a period in a quote?

For example, take the following sentence that refers to a text message: This happened after she told me "Okay." If the original contents of the message did include a period, it would serve a ...
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Can you use three quotes in a sentence by including a quote within a quote. Eg "' xxx ' xxx" [duplicate]

Can you use three quotes in a sentence by including a quote within a quote? Eg "' xxx ' xxx"
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Should a semicolon be used before a clause that's mostly a quotation? For example: he “had the reputation of a good preacher.”

In the following section: His presence was always looked forward to on the Sundays when he filled the pulpit, and he was a ready pastor at the weddings and funerals of Milford; he “had the reputation ...
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2 answers
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Do I need to use quotes when referring to something? [closed]

Do I need to use quotes here? You can find those terms under the separate section called “Earthquakes” later in this chapter. If no quotes are needed, must the word Earthquake still start with a ...
upstream's user avatar
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1 answer
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Are quotes needed when naming an educational course?

Do I need quotation marks when naming an educational discipline? For example: An analysis of the educational discipline "English Language for Professional Purposes" has been conducted. Or is it ...
Michael's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Placement of period in quotation or definition at end of sentence (American rule)

The American rule for sentences ending in a quotation is that the period should be inside the closing quotation mark. The rule for parentheticals at the end of a sentence is that, when the ...
Jonathan's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Use of em dash to separate different speakers in a quotation(s)

Suppose there are three characters, each saying something different outside of a room and you are listening to them from inside of the room. What is the correct way to punctuate the following using em ...
sam's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Quotation marks or italics for foreign word...or both in certain context?

When a foreign word is used for the first time in text, it is generally italicized (or put in quotation quotes as an alternative). Is it ever correct to use both italics and quotation marks when the ...
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Correct punctation when two quotations are used in the same sentence (British usage)

Is the following sentence correctly punctuated for British English usage: I said, 'It's important to learn grammar', and he said, 'I promise I will'.
Phil Hatcher's user avatar
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2 answers
302 views

Capitalization/Proper use of apostrophe for omitted letters at start of quotation

Suppose I have a character who can’t pronounce the letter b, and I have him start a sentence with “bananas” in dialogue. Is this correct, using a single quotation mark in front of a pointing away ...
user237736's user avatar

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