Elaine said, “Don’t forget to bring your umbrella.”
Elaine said: “Don’t forget to bring your umbrella.”
A comma (or colon) introduces a quotation in a sentence unless the quote is integral to the sentence. No capital letter is used in such a case.
Plato believed in an ethic that “gave all people equal justice” between nations.
If a quotation is within a quotation, the quotation within is marked off by single quotation marks.
Rachel said, “President Roosevelt said, ‘You have nothing to fear but fear itself,’ in his speech.”
If both quotations end together, use three quotation marks.
Bob explained, “Jason said, 'This is no longer fun.’”
Use punctuation quotes around a single word or words that are unfamiliar to the reader. Subsequent use of the word or words does not need to be within quotes.
He was a “gnostic” believer.
Use quotation marks around a word or words for emphasis (e.g., for irony).
There is no such thing as a “free” education.
Quotation marks are used for most titles of books, movies, plays, poems, operas, songs, albums, speeches, etc. in AP Style. Other styles prefer the use of italics (CMOS, MLA).
In the majority of styles, articles, essays, chapters, poems, webpages, songs, and speeches are placed in quotations marks.
AP Style, in discussing a word or phrase within a passage, uses quotation marks: whereas, most other styles prefer the use of italics.
The word "hip" was popular in the '60s.
The word hip was popular in the '60s.
Quotation marks enclose a translation of a foreign word or phrase.
Dios Mio means "Oh, my God."
Thoughts can be placed in quotation marks; if the thought is not placed in quotation marks, then a lowercase letter is used to introduce the thought (unless the sentence is long).
She thought, "What will happen to him?"
She thought, what will happen to him?
Quotations of more than four lines or forty to one hundred or more words are set off by block quotes (block quotes are indented on one or both sides and have no quotation marks). Do not tab the first paragraph in a block quote; tab only the following paragraphs.
Parenthetical citations in block quotes fall outside a closing quotation. No period follows the parenthetical citation.
If anything is added within a quote, usually for clarification, use square brackets [ ].
“[Another argument] is based on the behavior of observed nature.”
Some stylebooks place a space between the dots--AP Style does not.
Lincoln wanted government "of the people . . . and for the people."
If an ellipsis occurs after a complete sentence, a period is placed in its proper place. Therefore, the end of the sentence would have four dots. AP Style adds a space between the final punctuation point and the ellipsis.
Quotations of more than four lines or forty to one hundred or more words are set off by block quotes (block quotes are indented on one or both sides and have no quotation marks). Do not tab the first paragraph in a block quote; tab only the following paragraphs.
Once you understand the nature of matter, of mass-energy, you realize that, by its very nature, it could never become ‘aware,’ never ‘think,’ never say ‘I.’ But [for some] the impossible and inconceivable took place. Undifferentiated matter (here we include energy), at some point, became ‘alive,’ then conscious, then conceptually proficient, then an ‘I.’ (Varghese 163)
Parenthetical citations in block quotes fall outside a closing quotation. No period follows the parenthetical citation.
Some stylebooks (e.g., MLA) prefer block quotes to be double-spaced.
Parenthetical citations for in-line quotes fall outside the quotation but before the closing punctuation mark (i.e., period) or separating punctuation mark (i.e., comma).
Ray Varghese claimed that at some point in evolution, matter “became ‘alive,’ then conscious, then conceptually proficient, then an ‘I’” (Varghese 163).
Place a comma and a period within a quotation mark. In most manual styles, colons, semicolons, and dashes are placed outside of quotation marks.
Johnny said, “It is scorching outside”: Debbie agreed with Johnny’s assessment.
Question and exclamation marks can fall inside or outside of a quote, depending on the use of the quote: If a question or exclamation mark applies to the whole sentence, the mark is placed outside the quote. If a question or exclamation mark applies to the quoted material only, then the mark is placed within the quoted material.
The poet asked, “What would you do in the same situation?”
“Is it really true?” he asked.
Do you agree with Bob when he said, “He would rather swim three miles rather than walk five miles”?
EllipsesAn ellipsis is three dots (. . .) indicating that words were omitted in a quote. An ellipsis is also used to indicate the interruption of someone speaking.
“Prince Henry took his sword out…and killed the invaders.”
Parenthetical citations for in-line quotes fall outside the quotation but before the closing punctuation mark (i.e., period) or separating punctuation mark (i.e., comma).
Ray Varghese claimed that at some point in evolution, matter “became ‘alive,’ then conscious, then conceptually proficient, then an ‘I’” (Varghese 163).
Place a comma and a period within a quotation mark. In most manual styles, colons, semicolons, and dashes are placed outside of quotation marks.
Johnny said, “It is scorching outside”: Debbie agreed with Johnny’s assessment.
Question and exclamation marks can fall inside or outside of a quote, depending on the use of the quote: If a question or exclamation mark applies to the whole sentence, the mark is placed outside the quote. If a question or exclamation mark applies to the quoted material only, then the mark is placed within the quoted material.
The poet asked, “What would you do in the same situation?”
“Is it really true?” he asked.
Do you agree with Bob when he said, “He would rather swim three miles rather than walk five miles”?
Ellipses
“Prince Henry took his sword out…and killed the invaders.”
If anything is added within a quote, usually for clarification, use square brackets [ ].
“[Another argument] is based on the behavior of observed nature.”
Some stylebooks place a space between the dots--AP Style does not.
Lincoln wanted government "of the people . . . and for the people."
If an ellipsis occurs after a complete sentence, a period is placed in its proper place. Therefore, the end of the sentence would have four dots. AP Style adds a space between the final punctuation point and the ellipsis.
"They rode into town on black horses. . . . It was a stunning display of power."
"They rode into town on black horses. ... It was a stunning display of power." (AP)
"They rode into town on black horses. ... It was a stunning display of power." (AP)
*Block quote cf. Roy Varghese, in Antony Flew, There is a God (New York: Harper One, 2007), appendix 1, 163.
