quotation-marks
Noun (plural):
- Punctuation marks: "quotation marks" are a pair of punctuation marks used to enclose a direct quotation, a title, or a word or phrase being discussed or given special emphasis. They typically appear as double marks (" ") or single marks (' ').
- (The marks enclose a direct quote from a source.)
- (The marks indicate the title of a shorter work.)
- (Single marks are used here to discuss the word itself.)
"scare quotes": Quotation marks used to express irony, skepticism, or to signal that a term is being used in a non-standard way.
- He said he was a "professional," but his work was sloppy. (Scare quotes imply doubt about his professionalism.)
"nested quotation marks": When a quote appears within another quote, the outer set is double, and the inner set is single (or vice versa, depending on style).
- She said, "He whispered, 'I love you,' and then left." (Double marks enclose the outer quote; single marks enclose the inner quote.)
Quotation mark (n, singular): One of the two marks (opening or closing) that form the pair.
- The opening quotation mark is at the beginning of the sentence. (One half of the pair.)
Quote marks (n, informal): A shortened form of "quotation marks."
- Put the phrase in quote marks to show it's a direct citation. (Informal usage.)
Inverted commas (chiefly British English): Another term for quotation marks.
- In British English, single inverted commas are often preferred for quotations. (Same punctuation, different regional term.)
Quotes (n, informal): A common shortened form.
- She used quotes around the word "unique" to show irony. (Informal synonym.)
"Put in quotation marks": To emphasize that a term is being used in a special or questionable way.
- He put the word "expert" in quotation marks, implying he was not one. (The idiom signals skepticism.)
"Quotation marks around it": A figurative way to indicate that a word or phrase is being used ironically or as a label.
- His so-called "plan" had quotation marks around it from the start. (Figurative use to show doubt.)