quotation mark
Noun: 1. A punctuation mark used to attribute the enclosed text to someone else: One of a pair of symbols (such as " " or ' ') placed at the beginning and end of a word, phrase, or passage to indicate that it is being quoted or cited from another source, or to highlight it for a specific purpose like a title or ironic usage.
Quotation marks are used primarily to set off and indicate direct speech, quotations, and certain titles. They always come in pairs: an opening mark and a closing mark. * Direct Speech: To enclose the exact words spoken by someone. * She said, "I'll be there soon." * Quotations: To enclose text taken directly from another work. * The article included a famous line from Shakespeare: "To be, or not to be." * Titles: To enclose the titles of short works like articles, poems, or songs. * His favorite short story is "The Gift of the Magi." * Scare Quotes: To indicate irony, skepticism, or that a term is being used in a non-standard way. * The "fresh" fish did not smell very good.
- The teacher asked, "Who can explain this equation?"
- Always remember to close your quotation marks. For example: "This is a complete sentence."
- In British English, single quotation marks (' ') are often used first, with double marks (" ") for quotes within quotes.
- The word "literally" is often used figuratively.
- Nested Quotations: When a quote appears inside another quote, alternate between double and single quotation marks to differentiate them.
- American Style: He said, "I heard her yell 'Help!' before the door slammed."
- British Style: He said, 'I heard her yell "Help!" before the door slammed.'
- Punctuation with Quotation Marks: Rules vary between style guides (e.g., American vs. British English). In American English, commas and periods typically go inside the closing quotation mark, while colons and semicolons go outside.
- She called it "a masterpiece," but I disagreed. (Comma inside)
- Did he really say "I quit"? (Question mark outside, as it applies to the whole sentence)
- Quote (verb/noun): The act of quoting or the passage quoted.
- Verb: She quoted the president in her report.
- Noun: He began his speech with a quote from Einstein.
- Inverted comma (noun): Another term for quotation mark, more common in British English.
- Speech mark (noun): An informal term for quotation marks, emphasizing their use for direct speech.
- Quote marks (informal)
- Inverted commas (chiefly British)
- Speech marks
- In quotes: Used to suggest that a term or description is not entirely accurate or is being used euphemistically.
- He's the "expert," in quotes, who advised us.
- Unquote: Spoken to signal the end of a quotation, often paired with "quote."
- The statement began, quote, "We regret the error," unquote.
- a punctuation mark used to attribute the enclosed text to someone else