View source for Quotation marks in English

{{short description|Usage of punctuation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2021}}<!-- see talk and WP:RETAIN, WP:ARTCON -->
{{Infobox punctuation mark|mark=“&nbsp;” |name=Double typographic quotes|variant-size=400% |
variant1=‘&nbsp;’ |caption1=Single typographic quotes |variant2="&nbsp;"
|caption2=Neutral double quotes |variant3='&nbsp;' |caption3=Neutral single quotes}}

In [[English language|English]] writing, [[quotation mark]]s or inverted commas, also known informally as quotes, talking marks,<ref>{{cite book |last=Lunsford |first=Susan |title=100 skill-building lessons using 10 favorite books : a teacher's treasury of irresistible lessons & activities that help children meet learning goals in reading, writing, math and more |date=December 2001 |page=10 |publisher=Scholastic |isbn=0439205794}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hayes |first=Andrea |title=Language Toolkit for New Zealand 2, Volume 2 |date=April 2011 |page=17 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1107624702}}</ref> speech marks,<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Barber |editor-first=Katherine |title=[[Canadian Oxford Dictionary]] |edition=2nd |date=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0-19-541816-6}}</ref> quote marks, quotemarks or speechmarks, are [[Punctuation|punctuation marks]] placed on either side of a word or phrase in order to identify it as a [[quotation]], [[direct speech]] or a [[Literal and figurative language|literal]] title or name. Quotation marks may be used to indicate that the meaning of the word or phrase they surround should be taken to be different from (or, at least, a modification of) that typically associated with it, and are often used in this way to express [[irony]] (for example, in the sentence 'The lunch lady plopped a glob of "food" onto my tray.' the quotation marks around the word ''food'' show it is being called that ironically). They are also sometimes used to emphasise a word or phrase, although this is usually considered incorrect. <ref>{{cite book |author=Jeremy Butterfield |date=2015 |title=Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=680 |isbn=978-0-19-966135-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AvmzBgAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref name="LanguageLog">{{cite web |last=Zwicky |first=Arnold |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002796.html |title=Dubious Quotation Marks |website=itre.cis.upenn.edu |date=29 January 2006 |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> 

Quotation marks are written as a pair of opening and closing marks in either of two styles: {{nowrap|single (‘...’)}} or {{nowrap|double (“...”)}}. Opening and closing quotation marks may be identical in form (called neutral, vertical, straight, typewriter, or "[[typographic approximation|dumb]]" quotation marks), or may be distinctly left-handed and right-handed (typographic or, colloquially, curly quotation marks); {{crossref|see {{section link|Quotation mark#Summary table}} for details}}. Typographic quotation marks are usually used in [[manuscript]] and [[typeset]] text. Because typewriter and computer keyboards lack keys to directly enter typographic quotation marks, much of typed writing has neutral quotation marks. Some computer software has the feature often called "smart quotes" which can, sometimes imperfectly, convert neutral quotation marks to typographic ones.

The typographic closing double quotation mark and the neutral double quotation mark are similar to{{snd}} and sometimes stand in for{{snd}} the [[ditto mark]] and the [[double prime|double prime symbol]]. Likewise, the typographic opening single quotation mark is sometimes used to represent the [[ʻokina]] while either the typographic closing single quotation mark or the neutral single quotation mark may represent the [[Prime (symbol)|prime symbol]]. Characters with different meanings are typically given different visual appearance in typefaces that recognize these distinctions, and they each have different [[Unicode#Architecture and terminology|Unicode code points]]. Despite being semantically different, the typographic closing single quotation mark and the typographic [[apostrophe]] have the same visual appearance and code point (U+2019), as do the neutral single quote and typewriter apostrophe (U+0027).<ref>[https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch06/psec117.html "Smart" apostrophes] ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style|The Chicago Manual of Style Online]]'' (17th ed.). Part 2, Chapter 6.117. Retrieved 3 January 2019. Subscription required (free trial available).</ref> (Despite the different code points, the curved and straight versions are sometimes considered multiple [[glyph]]s of the same character.)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pubcom.com/blog/2013_12-03/unicode-accessibility.html#solution2|last=Chagnon|first=Bevi|title=Fonts, Typography, and Accessibility|date=December 2013|access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

== History ==
In the first centuries of [[typesetting]], quotations were distinguished merely by indicating the speaker, and this can still be seen in some editions of the [[Bible|Christian Bible]]. During the [[Renaissance]], quotations were distinguished by setting in a [[typeface]] contrasting with the main body text (often [[italic type]] with [[Roman type|roman]], or the other way around). Long quotations were also set this way, at full size and full measure.<ref name=typehist>{{cite book |last=Bringhurst |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Bringhurst |date=2002 |title=[[The Elements of Typographic Style]] |version=ver. 2.5 |location=Point Roberts, Washington |publisher=Hartley & Marks |isbn=978-0-88179-132-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780881791327/page/86 86] }}</ref>

Quotation marks were first cut in metal type during the middle of the sixteenth century, and were used copiously by some printers by the seventeenth. In some [[Baroque]] and [[Romantic-period]] books, they would be repeated at the beginning of every line of a long quotation. When this practice was abandoned, the empty margin remained, leaving the modern form of indented [[block quotation]].<ref name="typehist" />

In [[Early Modern English]], quotation marks were used to denote pithy comments. They were used to quote direct speech as early as the late sixteenth century, and this practice became more common over time.<ref>{{cite book |last=Higgins |first=John |title=The Mirror for Magistrates |date=1587}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Truss |first=Lynne |title=Eats, Shoots & Leaves |date=2003 |page=151 |isbn=1-59240-087-6}}</ref>

== Usage ==

=== Quotations and speech ===
Single or double quotation marks denote either speech or a quotation. Double quotes are preferred in the United States, and also tend to be preferred in Australia<ref>{{cite web | url=https://davidbrewsterwriter.com/blog/2014/8/19/quote-me-on-this-using-single-and-double-quotation-marks?format=amp | title=Quote me on this: Using single and double quotation marks }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/resources/view/resource/6/ | title=Punctuation Guide &#124; Macquarie Dictionary | date=25 October 2023 }}</ref> (though the Australian Government prefers single quotes)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Australian Government |date=24 October 2022 |title=Quotation marks |url=https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/grammar-punctuation-and-conventions/punctuation/quotation-marks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323014522/https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/grammar-punctuation-and-conventions/punctuation/quotation-marks |archive-date=23 March 2023 |access-date=1 May 2023 |website=Australian Government Style Manual}}</ref> and Canada. Single quotes are more usual in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa, though double quotes are also common there, especially in {{Clarify|text=journalistic works|date=May 2023}}.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Penguin Guide to Punctuation |last=Trask |first=R. L. |author-link=Larry Trask |page=94 |isbn=9780140513660 |date=1997|publisher=Penguin Books }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Peters |first=Pam |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/73994040 |title=The Cambridge guide to Australian English usage |date=2007 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-87821-0 |edition=2nd |location=Melbourne |oclc=73994040 |page= 670}}</ref> In New Zealand, both styles are used.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.clearlingo.co.nz/blog/new-zealand-english-single-or-double-quote-marks | title=New Zealand English: Single or Double Quotation Marks }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.digital.govt.nz/standards-and-guidance/design-and-ux/content-design-guidance/grammar-and-punctuation/ | title=Grammar and punctuation }}</ref>

A publisher's or author's style may take precedence over regional general preferences. The important idea is that the style of opening and closing quotation marks must be matched:

{{block indent|<poem>'Good morning, Frank,' said Hal.
"Good morning, Frank," said Hal.</poem>}}

For speech within speech, the other style is used as inner quotation marks:

{{block indent|<poem>'Hal said, "Good morning, Dave,{{"'}} recalled Frank.
"Hal said, 'Good morning, Dave,{{'"}} recalled Frank.</poem>}}

Sometimes [[Nested quotation|quotations are nested]] in more levels than inner and outer quotation. Nesting levels up to five can be found in the Christian Bible.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jeremiah|27:1-11|ESV}}; {{Bibleverse-nb||Jeremiah|29:1-28|ESV}}; {{Bibleverse-nb||Jeremiah|29:30-32|ESV}}; {{Bibleverse-nb||Jeremiah|34:1-5|ESV}}; {{Bibleverse||Ezekiel|27:1-36|ESV}}</ref> In these cases, questions arise about the form (and names) of the quotation marks to be used. The most common way is to simply alternate between the two forms,<ref>{{cite book |last=Stilman |first=Ann |title=Grammatically Correct |date=1997 |page=[https://archive.org/details/grammaticallycor00stil_0/page/181 181] |publisher=F+W Media |isbn=978-0-89879-776-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/grammaticallycor00stil_0/page/181 }}</ref> thus:

{{block indent|{{nowrap|" ... ' ... " ... ' ... ' ... " ... ' ... "}}}}

If such a passage is further quoted in another publication, then all of their forms have to be shifted up by one level.

In many cases, quotations that span multiple [[paragraph]]s are set as [[block quotation]]s, and thus do not require quotation marks. However, quotation marks are used for multiple-paragraph quotations in some cases, especially in [[narrative]]s, where the convention in English is to give opening quotation marks to the first and each subsequent paragraph, using closing quotation marks only for the final paragraph of the quotation, as in the following example from ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'':

{{quote|1=The letter was to this effect:

"My dear Lizzy,

"I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half as well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you so rich, and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do, of about three or four hundred a year; but however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not.

"Yours, etc."}}

As noted [[Quotation mark#History|above]], in some older texts, the quotation mark is repeated every line, rather than every paragraph.

When quoted text is interrupted, such as with the phrase ''he said'', a closing quotation mark is used before the interruption, and an opening quotation mark after. [[Comma]]s are also often used before and after the interruption, more often for quotations of speech than for quotations of text:

{{block indent|"Everything", said Hal, "is going extremely well."}}

Quotation marks are not used for [[indirect speech]]. This is because indirect speech can be a [[paraphrase]]; it is not a direct quote, and in the course of any composition, it is important to document when one is using a quotation versus when one is just giving content, which may be paraphrased, and which could be open to interpretation.

For example, if Hal says: "All systems are functional", then, in indirect speech:

{{block indent|1=<poem>
''Incorrect'': Hal said that "everything was going extremely well".
''Correct'': Hal said that everything was going extremely well.
</poem>}}

=== Irony ===
{{Main|Scare quotes}}
Another common use of quotation marks is to indicate or call attention to [[Irony|ironic]], dubious, or non-standard words:

{{block indent|1=<poem>
He shared his "wisdom" with me.
The lunch lady plopped a glob of "food" onto my tray.
He complained about too many "gummint" regulations.
</poem>}}

Quotes indicating verbal irony, or other special use, are sometimes called [[scare quotes]]. They are sometimes [[gesture]]d in oral speech using [[air quotes]], or indicated in speech with a tone change or by replacement with ''supposed[ly]'' or ''so-called''.

=== Signalling unusual usage ===
Quotation marks are also used to indicate that the writer realises that a word is not being used in its current commonly accepted sense:
{{block indent|Crystals somehow "know" which shape to grow into.}}

In addition to conveying a neutral attitude and to call attention to a [[neologism]], or [[slang]], or special terminology (also known as [[jargon]]), quoting can also indicate words or phrases that are ''descriptive'' but unusual, colloquial, folksy, startling, humorous, metaphoric, or contain a [[pun]]: [[Richard Dawkins|Dawkins's]] concept of a [[meme]] could be described as an "evolving idea".

People also use quotation marks in this way to distance the writer from the terminology in question so as not to be associated with it, for example to indicate that a quoted word is not official terminology, or that a quoted phrase presupposes things that the author does not necessarily agree with; or to indicate special terminology that should be identified for accuracy's sake as someone else's terminology, as when a term (particularly a controversial term) pre-dates the writer or represents the views of someone else, perhaps without judgement (contrast this neutrally distancing quoting to the negative use of [[scare quotes]]).

''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'', 17th edition (2017),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch07/psec057.html |title=The Chicago Manual of Style Online |edition=17th |date=2017 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |access-date=21 December 2018 |at=Section 7.57 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> acknowledges this type of use but, in section 7.57, cautions against its overuse: "Quotation marks are often used to alert readers that a term is used in a nonstandard (or slang), ironic, or other special sense .... [T]hey imply 'This is not my term,' or 'This is not how the term is usually applied.' Like any such device, [[scare quotes]] lose their force and irritate readers if overused."

=== Use–mention distinction ===
{{Main|Use–mention distinction|Metalanguage}}

Either quotation marks or [[italic type]] can emphasise that an instance of a word refers to [[use–mention distinction|the word itself]] rather than its associated concept.

{{block indent|1=<poem>
Cheese is derived from milk.<!--not italicised or quoted--> (concept)
"Cheese" is derived from a word in Old English. (word)
Cheese has calcium, protein, and phosphorus.<!--not italicised or quoted--> (concept)
''Cheese'' has three ''E''<nowiki />s. (word)
</poem>}}

==== In linguistics ====
Precise writing about language often uses italics for [[Words as words|the word itself]] and single quotation marks for a [[Gloss (annotation)|gloss]], with the two not separated by a comma or other punctuation,<ref>"Style Sheet", ''[[Language Acquisition (journal)|Language Acquisition: A Journal of Developmental Linguistics]]'', (undated), [https://www.tandf.co.uk//journals/authors/style/hlac-style-guide.pdf p. 2]</ref> and with strictly [[#Logical quotation|logical quotation]] around the gloss&nbsp;– extraneous terminal punctuation ''outside'' the quotation marks – even in North American publications, which might otherwise prefer them inside:<ref name="LSA-LSS">{{cite web |title=''Language'' Style Sheet |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=[[Language (journal)|Language]] |date=2015 |publisher=[[Linguistic Society of America]] |location=Washington, DC |access-date=21 December 2018 |url= http://www.linguisticsociety.org/sites/default/files/LANGUAGE_journal_style_sheet.pdf  |quote=4. Punctuation: a. ... The second member of a pair of quotation marks should precede any other adjacent mark of punctuation, unless the other mark is a necessary part of the quoted matter .... 6. Cited Forms: ... e. After the first occurrence of non-English forms, provide a gloss in single quotation marks:  Latin ''ovis'' ‘sheep’ is a noun.  No comma precedes the gloss and no comma follows, unless necessary for other reasons: Latin ''ovis'' ‘sheep’, ''canis'' ‘dog’, and ''equus'' ‘horse’ are nouns.}}</ref>
{{quote|1={{sic|hide=y|1=Latin ''ovis'' 'sheep', ''canis'' 'dog', and ''equus'' 'horse' are nouns.|reason=This example is a quotation from the source, not a made-up example; do not modify it.}}}}

=== Titles of artistic works ===
Quotation marks, rather than italics, are generally used for the titles of shorter works. Whether these are single or double depends on the context; however, many styles, especially for poetry, prefer the use of single quotation marks.
* Short fiction, poetry, etc.: [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s "The Sentinel"
* Book chapters: The first chapter of ''3001: The Final Odyssey'' is "Comet Cowboy"
* Articles in books, magazines, journals, etc.: "Extra-Terrestrial Relays", ''Wireless World'', October 1945
* Album tracks, singles, etc.: [[David Bowie]]'s "[[Space Oddity]]"

As a rule, the title of a whole publication is [[italic type|italicised]] (or, in typewritten text, [[underline]]d), whereas the titles of minor works within or a subset of the larger publication (such as poems, short stories, named chapters, journal papers, newspaper articles, TV show episodes, video game levels, editorial sections of websites, etc.) are written with quotation marks.
{{block indent|1=<poem>
Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet''
Dahl's short story "Taste" in ''Completely Unexpected Tales''
</poem>}}

=== Nicknames and false titles ===
Quotation marks can also set off a [[nickname]] embedded in an actual name, or a false or [[irony|ironic]] title embedded in an actual title; for example, [[Nat "King" Cole]], [[Frank Sinatra|Frank "Chairman of the Board" Sinatra]], or [[Sam DeCavalcante|Simone Rizzo "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante]].

=== Nonstandard usage ===
Quotes are sometimes used for [[emphasis (typography)|emphasis]] in lieu of underlining or italics, most commonly on signs or placards. This usage can be confused with ironic or altered-usage quotation, sometimes with unintended humor. For example, ''For sale: "fresh" fish, "fresh" oysters'', could be construed to imply that ''fresh'' is not used with its everyday meaning, or indeed to indicate that the fish or oysters are anything but fresh. As another example, ''Cashiers' desks open until noon for your "convenience"'' could be interpreted to mean that the convenience was for the bank employees, not the customers.<ref name="LanguageLog" />

== Order of punctuation<span class="anchor" id="Logical quotation"></span><span class="anchor" id="typesetters' quotation"></span>==
With regard to quotation marks adjacent to periods and commas, there are two styles of punctuation in widespread use. These two styles are most commonly referred to as "American" and "British", or sometimes "typesetters' quotation" and "logical quotation". Both systems have the same rules regarding question marks, exclamation points, colons, and semicolons. However, they differ in the treatment of periods and commas.<ref name="SSF" /><ref name="CMoS_6.9">{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch06/psec009.html |title=The Chicago Manual of Style Online |edition=17th |date=2017 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |access-date=21 December 2018 |at=Sections 6.9-6.11 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In all major forms of English, question marks, exclamation marks, semicolons, and any other punctuation (with the possible exceptions of periods and commas, as explained in the sections below) are placed inside or outside the closing quotation mark depending on whether they are part of the quoted material.<ref name="APA"/>
{{block indent|1=<poem>
Did he say, "Good morning, Dave"?
No, he said, "Where are you, Dave?"
There are three major definitions of the word "gender": vernacular, sociological, and linguistic.
Type "C:" at the DOS prompt to switch from a floppy disk to a hard drive.
</poem>}}

A convention is the use of [[Bracket#Square brackets|square brackets]] to indicate content between the quotation marks that has been modified from, or was not present in, the original material.

=== British style<span class="anchor" id="British practice"></span>===
The prevailing style in the United Kingdom{{spaced ndash}} called ''British style'',<ref name=SSF>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PoFJ-OhE63UC&pg=PA180 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors and Publishers |publisher=[[Council of Biology Editors]] / Cambridge University Press |date=2002 |quote=In the British style (OUP 1983), all signs of punctuation used with words and quotation marks must be placed {{em|according to the sense}}. |access-date=21 December 2018 |isbn=9780521471541}}</ref><ref name="APA">{{cite web |url=https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/08/punctuating-around-quotation-marks.html |last=Lee |first=Chelsea |title=Punctuating Around Quotation Marks |work=APA Style Blog |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |date=11 August 2011 |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> ''logical quotation'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/riiss/content-images/JISS_Style_Guide_revised_FV.pdf |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies  |publisher=Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies, [[University of Aberdeen]] |date=2008 |quote=Punctuation marks are placed inside the quotation marks only if the sense of the punctuation is part of the quotation; this system is referred to as logical quotation. |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> and ''logical punctuation''<ref name="Yagoda"/>{{spaced ndash}} is to include within quotation marks only those punctuation marks that appeared in the ''original'' quoted material and in which the punctuation mark fits with the sense of the quotation, but otherwise to place punctuation outside the closing quotation marks.<ref name="Yagoda">{{cite web |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2011/05/logical-punctuation-should-we-start-placing-commas-outside-quotation-marks.html |title=The Rise of "Logical Punctuation" |first=Ben |last=Yagoda |author-link=Ben Yagoda |date=12 May 2011 |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> Fowler's ''[[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage]]'' provides an early example of the rule: "All signs of punctuation used with words in quotation marks must be placed ''according to the sense''."<ref>{{cite book |title=The New Fowler's Modern English Usage |url=https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern00fowl |url-access=registration |edition=3rd |date=1996 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |editor-last=Burchfield |editor-first=R. W. |page=[https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern00fowl/page/646 646]|isbn=978-0-19-869126-6 }} Emphasis in original.</ref>

When dealing with words-as-words, short-form works and sentence fragments, this style places periods and commas outside the quotation marks:
{{block indent|1=<poem>
"Carefree", in general, means "free from care or anxiety".
The title of the song was "Gloria", which many already knew.
She said she felt "free from care and anxiety".
</poem>}}

When dealing with direct speech, according to the British style guide ''Butcher's Copy-editing'', if a quotation is broken by words of the main sentence, and then resumed, the punctuation before the break should follow the closing quote unless it forms part of the quotation. An exception may be made when writing fiction, where the first comma may be placed before the first closing quote.<ref name="Butcher">{{cite book |last1=Butcher |first1=Judith |last2=Drake |first2=Caroline |last3=Leach |first3=Maureen |date=2006 |title=Butcher's Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders |edition=4th |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-84713-1 |page=273}}</ref> In non-fiction, some British publishers may permit placing punctuation that is not part of the person's speech inside the quotation marks but prefer that it be placed outside.<ref name="Butcher" /> Periods and commas that {{em|are}} part of the person's speech are permitted inside the quotation marks regardless of whether the material is fiction.<ref name="Butcher" />
{{block indent|1=<poem>"Today," said Cinderella, "I feel free from care and anxiety." (fiction)
"Today", said the Prime Minister, "I feel free from care and anxiety." (preferred in non-fiction)
"Today I feel happy," said the woman, "carefree, and well." (regardless)
</poem>}}

''[[Hart's Rules]]'' and the ''[[Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors]]'' call the British style "new" quoting. It is also similar to the use of quotation marks in many other languages (including Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch and German). A few US professional societies whose professions frequently employ various non-word characters, such as chemistry and computer programming, use the British form in their style guides (see ''ACS Style Guide'').

According to the ''[[Jargon File]]'' from 1983, American [[Hacker (programmer subculture)|hacker]]s (members of a subculture of enthusiastic programmers) switched to what they later discovered to be the British quotation system because placing a period inside a quotation mark can change the meaning of data strings that are meant to be typed character-for-character.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/writing-style.html |title=The Jargon File, Chapter 5. Hacker Writing Style |work=CATB.org |access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref>

Some American style guides specific to certain specialties also prefer the British style.<ref name="CMoS_6.9" /> For example, the journal ''[[Language (journal)|Language]]'' of the [[Linguistic Society of America]] requires that the closing quotation mark precede the period or comma unless that period or comma is "a necessary part of the quoted matter".<ref name="LSA-LSS" /> The websites [[Wikipedia]] and [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] use logical punctuation.<ref name="Yagoda"/>

=== American style<span class="anchor" id="American practice"></span>===
In the United States, the prevailing style is called ''American style'',<ref name="APA" /> whereby commas and periods are almost always placed inside closing quotation marks.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Associated Press Stylebook |chapter=Punctuation |page=337}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Q&A |url=https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Punctuation/faq0021.html |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Strunk |first1=William Jr. |last2=White |first2=E. B. |title=The Elements of Style |publisher=[[Pearson Education]] |edition=4th |page=[https://archive.org/details/elementsofs00stru/page/36 36] |date=2000 |isbn=9780205313426 |url=https://archive.org/details/elementsofs00stru/page/36 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=J. A. (Sandy) |last1=McFarlane |first2=Warren |last2=Clements |title=The Globe and Mail Style Book |edition=9th |date=2003 |isbn=978-0771056857 |page=237|publisher=McClelland & Stewart }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Brinck |first1=Tom |last2=Gergle |first2=Darren |last3=Wood |first3=Scott W. |title=Usability for the Web |publisher=[[Morgan Kaufmann]] |date=2002 |page=277 |isbn=978-1-55860-658-6 |doi=10.1016/B978-1-55860-658-6.X5000-7}}</ref> This is done because it results in closer spacing and what is judged to be a cleaner appearance.<ref>Frederick Hamilton (1920: 31) ''A Primer of Information about the Marks of Punctuation and Their Use Both Grammatically and Typographically.''</ref> The American style is used by most newspapers, publishing houses, and style guides in the United States and, to a lesser extent, Canada as well.

When dealing with words-as-words, short-form works, and sentence fragments, standard American style places periods and commas inside the quotation marks:
{{block indent|1=<poem>
"Carefree," in general, means "free from care or anxiety."
The title of the song was "Gloria," which many already knew.
She said she felt "free from care and anxiety."
</poem>}}

This style also places periods and commas inside the quotation marks when dealing with direct speech, regardless of whether the work is fiction or non-fiction:
{{block indent|1=<poem>
"Today," said Cinderella, "I feel free from care and anxiety." (fiction)
"Today," said the Prime Minister, "I feel free from care and anxiety." (non-fiction)
</poem>}}

Nevertheless, many American style guides explicitly permit periods and commas outside the quotation marks when the presence of the punctuation mark inside the quotation marks leads to ambiguity, such as when describing keyboard input, as in the following example:
{{block indent|In the programming language [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]], the statement "<code>end.</code>", including the period, signifies the end of a program.}}

The American style is recommended by the Modern Language Association's ''[[MLA Style Manual]]'', the American Psychological Association's ''[[APA style|APA Publication Manual]]'', the University of Chicago's ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'', the American Institute of Physics's ''AIP Style Manual'', the American Medical Association's ''AMA Manual of Style'', the American Political Science Association's ''APSA Style Manual'', the [[Associated Press]]' ''The AP Guide to Punctuation'', and the [[Public Works and Government Services Canada|Canadian Public Works']] ''The Canadian Style''.<ref>Other style guides and reference volumes include the following: ''U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual'' (2008, p. 217), US Department of Education's ''IES Style Guide'' (2005, p. 43), ''The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing'' (1997, p. 148), ''International Committee of Medical Journal Editors'', ''International Reading Association Style Guide'', ''American Dialect Society'', Association of Legal Writing Directors' ''ALWD Citation Manual'', ''The McGraw-Hill Desk Reference'' by K. D. Sullivan (2006, p. 52), ''Webster's New World Punctuation'' by Geraldine Woods (2005, p. 68), ''The New Oxford Guide to Writing'' by Thomas S. Kane (1994, pp. 278, 305, 306), ''Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors'' by Merriam-Webster (1998, p. 27), ''Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers'' by Lynn Troyka, et al. (1993, p. 517), ''Science and Technical Writing'' by Philip Rubens (2001, p. 208), ''Health Professionals Style Manual'' by Shirley Fondiller and Barbara Nerone (2006, p. 72), ''The Gregg Reference Manual'' by William A. Sabin (2000, p. 247), ''The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation'' by [[Jane Straus]](2007, p. 61), ''The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage'' by Allan M. Siegal, ''The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge'' (2004, p. 788), ''The Copyeditor's Handbook'' by Amy Einsohn (2000, p. 111), ''The Grammar Bible'' by Michael Strumpf, Auriel Douglas (2004, p. 446), ''Elements of Style'' by William Strunk and Elwyn B. White (1979, p. 36), ''Little English Handbook'' by Edward P. J. Corbett (1997, p. 135), ''Commonsense Grammar and Style'' by Phillip S. Sparks (2004, p. 18), ''Handbook of Technical Writing'' by Gerald Alred et al. (2006, pp. 83, 373), ''MIT Guide To Science and Engineering Communication'' by J. Paradis and M. L. Zimmerman (2002, p. 314), ''Guide to Writing Empirical Papers'' by G. David Garson (2002, p. 178), ''Modern English'' by A. L. Lazarus, A. MacLeish, and H. W. Smith (1971, p. 71), ''The Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers'' (8th ed.) by John Ruszkiewicz et al., ''Comma Sense'' by Richard Lederer, John Shore (2007, p. 138), ''Write right!'' by Jan Venolia (2001, p. 82), ''Scholastic Journalism'' by Earl English and Clarence Hach (1962. p. 75), ''Grammar in Plain English'' by Harriet Diamond and Phyllis Dutwin (2005, p. 199), ''Crimes Against the English Language'' by Jill Meryl Levy (2005, p. 21), ''The Analytical Writer'' by Adrienne Robins (1997, p. 524), ''Writing with a Purpose'' by James McNab McCrimmon (1973, p. 415), ''Writing and Reporting News'' by Carole Rich (2000, p. 60), ''The Lawyer's Guide to Writing Well'' by Tom Goldstein (2003, p. 163), ''Woodroof's Quotations, Commas And Other Things English'' by D. K. Woodroof (2005, pp. 10–12), ''Journalism Language and Expression'' by Sundara Rajan (2005, p. 76), ''The Business Writer's Handbook'' by Gerald Alred et al. (2006, p. 451), ''The Business Style Handbook'' by Helen Cunningham (2002, p. 213), ''Essentials of English'' by Vincent Hopper (2000, p. 127).</ref> This style is also used in some British news and fiction.<ref>{{cite web |last1=March |first1=David |title='The British style'? 'The American way?' They are not so different {{!}} Mind your language |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2011/may/19/mind-your-language-punctuation-quotations |website=the Guardian |access-date=19 November 2021 |language=en |date=19 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="Butcher" />

=== Ending the sentence ===

In both major styles, regardless of placement, only one end mark (?, !, or .) can end a sentence. Only the period, however, ''may not'' end a quoted sentence when it does not also end the enclosing sentence, except for literal text:<ref name="CMoS_6.9" /><ref>{{cite book |title=New Hart's Rules |date=2005 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-861041-0 |editor-first=R. M. |editor-last=Ritter |url=https://archive.org/details/newhartsrules00rmri }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Merriam-Webster's Guide to Punctuation and Style |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-87779-921-4 |date=2001 |author=Merriam-Webster |publisher=Merriam-Webster |url=https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersg00merr_0 }}</ref>
{{block indent|1=<poem>
"Hello, world," she said. (both styles)
She said, "Hello, world." (both styles)
"Hello, world!" she exclaimed. (both styles)
"Is anybody out there?" she asked into the void. (both styles)
</poem>}}

With narration of direct speech, both styles retain punctuation inside the quotation marks, with a full stop changing into a comma if followed by attributive matter, also known as a speech tag or annunciatory clause. Americans tend to apply quotations when signifying doubt of veracity (sarcastically or seriously), to imply another meaning to a word or to imply a cynical take on a paraphrased quotation, without punctuation at all.

== Typographical considerations ==

=== Primary quotations versus secondary quotations ===
''Primary quotations'' are [[Orthography|orthographically]] distinguished from ''secondary quotations'' that may be nested within a primary quotation. British English often uses single quotation marks to identify the outermost text of a primary quotation versus double quotation marks for inner, nested quotations. By contrast, American English typically uses double quotation marks to identify the outermost text of a primary quotation versus single quotation marks for inner, nested quotations.

British usage does vary, with some authoritative sources such as ''[[The Economist]]'' and ''[[The Times]]'' recommending the same usage as in the US,<ref>"American and British English". ''The Economist Style Guide'' (Fourth ed.). London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd. 1996. p. 85. {{ISBN|0241135567}}. Tim Austin, Richard Dixon (2003) ''The Times Style and Usage Guide''. London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|0007145055}}</ref> whereas other authoritative sources, such as ''[[The King's English]]'', ''[[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage|Fowler's]]'', and ''[[Hart's Rules|New Hart's Rules]]'', recommend single quotation marks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/116/406.html |title=Quotation Marks. Fowler, H. W. 1908. The King's English |work=Bartleby.com |access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> In journals and newspapers, quotation mark double/single use often depends on the individual publication's [[Style guide|house style]].

=== Spacing ===
In English, when a quotation follows other writing on a line of text, a space precedes the opening quotation mark unless the preceding symbol, such as an [[em dash]], requires that there be no space. When a quotation is followed by other writing on a line of text, a space follows the closing quotation mark unless it is immediately followed by other punctuation within the sentence, such as a colon or closing punctuation. (These exceptions are ignored by some Asian computer systems that systematically display quotation marks with the included spacing, as this spacing is part of the fixed-width characters.)

There is generally no space between an opening quotation mark and the following word, or a closing quotation mark and the preceding word. When a double quotation mark or a single quotation mark immediately follows the other, proper spacing for legibility may suggest that a [[thin space]] (<code>&amp;thinsp;</code>) or larger [[non-breaking space]] (<code>&amp;nbsp;</code>) be inserted.
{{block indent|1=<poem>
So Dave actually said, "He said, 'Good morning'&thinsp;"? (thin-space)
Yes, he did say, "He said, 'Good morning.'&nbsp;" (non-breaking space)
</poem>}}

This is not common practice in mainstream publishing, which will generally use more precise [[kerning]]. It is more common in online writing, although using [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] to create the spacing by kerning is more [[Semantic HTML|semantically appropriate in Web typography]] than inserting extraneous spacing characters.

=== Non-language-related usage ===
Straight quotation marks (or italicised straight quotation marks) are often used to [[Typographic approximation|approximate]] the [[Prime (symbol)|prime]] and [[double prime]], e.g. when signifying feet and inches or [[arcminute]]s and [[arcsecond]]s. For instance, 5&nbsp;feet and 6&nbsp;inches is often written 5'&nbsp;6"; and 40&nbsp;degrees, 20&nbsp;arcminutes, and 50 arcseconds is written 40°&nbsp;20'&nbsp;50". When available, however, primes should be used instead (e.g. 5{{prime}}&nbsp;6{{pprime}}, and 40°&nbsp;20{{prime}}&nbsp;50{{pprime}}). Prime and double prime are not present in most [[code page]]s, including [[ASCII]] and [[Latin-1]], but are present in [[Unicode]], as characters {{unichar|2032|PRIME}} and {{unichar|2033|DOUBLE PRIME}}. The [[List of XML and HTML character entity references#Character entity references in HTML|HTML character entity references]] are {{Code|&prime;}} and {{Code|&Prime;}}, respectively.

Double quotation marks, or pairs of single ones, also represent the [[ditto mark]].

Straight single and double quotation marks are used in most [[programming language]]s to delimit [[String (computer science)|strings]] or literal [[character (computing)|characters]], collectively known as [[string literal]]s. In some languages (e.g. [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]]) only one type is allowed, in some (e.g. [[C (programming language)|C]] and its derivatives) both are used with different meanings and in others (e.g. [[Python (programming language)|Python]]) both are used interchangeably. In some languages, if it is desired to include the same quotation marks used to delimit a string inside the string, the quotation marks are doubled. For example, to represent the string {{samp|eat 'hot' dogs}} in Pascal one uses <code><nowiki>'eat ''hot'' dogs'</nowiki></code>. Other languages use an [[escape character]], often the [[backslash]], as in <code><nowiki>'eat \'hot\' dogs'</nowiki></code>.

In the [[TeX]] typesetting program, left double quotes are produced by typing two back-ticks ({{Code|``}}) and right double quotes by typing two apostrophes ({{Code|''}}). This is a continuation of a typewriter tradition of using ticks for opening quotation marks; see {{section link|Quotation mark|Typewriters and early computers}}.

=== Typing quotation marks on a computer keyboard ===
Standard English computer keyboard layouts inherited the single and double straight quotation marks from the typewriter (the single quotation mark also doubling as an [[apostrophe]]), and they do not include individual keys for left-handed and right-handed typographic quotation marks. In [[character encoding]] terms, these [[character (computing)|characters]] are labeled ''[[wikt:unidirectional|unidirectional]]''. However, most computer text-editing programs provide a "smart quotes" feature to automatically convert straight quotation marks into bidirectional punctuation, though sometimes imperfectly {{crossref|(see {{section link||Smart_quotes}})}}. Generally, this smart quote feature is enabled by default, and it can be turned off in an "options" or "preferences" [[dialog box|dialog]]. Some websites do not allow typographic quotation marks or apostrophes in posts. One can skirt these limitations, however, by using the HTML character codes or entities<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/sgml/entities.html#h-24.2 |title=Character entity references in HTML 4 |work=W3.org |publisher=[[World Wide Web Consortium]] |date=24 December 1999 |access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> or the other key combinations in the following table. In [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[AutoHotkey]] scripts can be used to assign simpler key combinations to opening and closing quotation marks.
{{Anchor|How to type}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+How to type typographic quotation marks (and apostrophes) on a computer keyboard
! colspan="2" |&nbsp;
! style="text-align: center" |Windows [[Alt code]] combinations
! style="text-align: center;" |[[macOS]] key combinations
! style="text-align: center" |Linux ([[X Window System|X]]) keys
! style="text-align: center" |Unicode point
! style="text-align: center" |[[HTML entity]]
! style="text-align: center" |HTML decimal
|-
!Single opening
|style="text-align: center; width: 30px"|&nbsp;<span style="font-family:serif;font-size:150%">‘</span>&nbsp;
|{{key press|Alt}}+{{keypress|0}}{{key press|1}}{{key press|4}}{{key_press|5}} (on number pad)
|{{key press|Opt|]}}
|{{key press|[[Compose key|Compose]]|<|'}} or {{key press|[[AltGr key|Alt Gr]]|Shift|V}}
|U+2018
|<code>&amp;lsquo;</code>
|<code>&amp;#8216;</code>
|-
!Single closing<small><br />(&amp; apostrophe<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2019/index.htm |title=Unicode Character 'RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK' (U+2019) |work=FileFormat.info |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2000.pdf|title=General Punctuation: Range: 2000–206F |work=Unicode.org |publisher=[[Unicode Consortium]] |access-date=21 December 2015}}</ref>)</small>
|style="text-align: center" |&nbsp;<span style="font-family:serif;font-size:150%">’</span>&nbsp;
|{{keypress|Alt}}+{{keypress|0}}{{keypress|1}}{{keypress|4}}{{keypress|6}} (on number pad)
|{{keypress|Opt|Shift|]}}
|{{keypress|Compose|>|'}} or {{keypress|Alt Gr|Shift|B}}
|U+2019
|<code>&amp;rsquo;</code>
|<code>&amp;#8217;</code>
|-
!Double opening
|style="text-align: center" |&nbsp;<span style="font-family:serif;font-size:150%">“</span>&nbsp;
|{{keypress|Alt}}+{{keypress|0}}{{keypress|1}}{{keypress|4}}{{keypress|7}} (on number pad)
|{{keypress|Opt|[}}
|{{keypress|Compose|<|"}} or {{keypress|Alt Gr|v}}
|U+201C
|<code>&amp;ldquo;</code>
|<code>&amp;#8220;</code>
|-
!Double closing
|style="text-align: center" |&nbsp;<span style="font-family:serif;font-size:150%">”</span>&nbsp;
|{{keypress|Alt}}+{{keypress|0}}{{keypress|1}}{{keypress|4}}{{keypress|8}} (on number pad)
|{{keypress|Opt|Shift|[}}
|{{keypress|Compose|>|"}} or {{keypress|Alt Gr|b}}
|U+201D
|<code>&amp;rdquo;</code>
|<code>&amp;#8221;</code>
|}
{{crossreference|(For additional characters used in other languages, see {{section link|Quotation mark#Summary table}}.)}}

==== Smart quotes ====
To make typographic quotation marks easier to enter, publishing software often automatically converts typewriter quotation marks (and apostrophes) to typographic form during text entry (with or without the user being aware of it). [[Out of the box (feature)|Out-of-the-box]] behavior on macOS and iOS is to make this conversion. These are known as ''smart quotes'' ('''{{serif|{{large|“...”}}}}'''). Straight quotation marks are also [[retronym]]ically called ''dumb quotes'' ('''{{serif|{{large|"..."}}}}''').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://type.fans/typographic-train-wrecks/?route=/2011/01/31/typographic-train-wrecks/ |title=Typographic Train Wrecks |first=Dave |last=Spencer |date=31 January 2011 |work=Glyphic |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref>

The method for producing smart quotes may be based solely on the character preceding the mark. If it is a space or another of a set of [[hard-coded]] characters or if the mark begins a line, the mark will be rendered as an opening quote; if not, it will be rendered as a closing quote or apostrophe. This method can cause errors, especially for contractions that start with an apostrophe or text with nested quotations:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Text as typed
!Desired result
!Example erroneous results
|-
|{{mono|'14}}
|{{serif|’}}14
|{{serif|‘}}14
|-
|{{mono|I forgot my 'phone.}}
|{{serif|I forgot my ’phone.}}
|{{serif|I forgot my ‘phone.}}
|-
|{{mono|'Twas the night before Christmas&nbsp;...<ref>[[Clement Clarke Moore|Moore, Clement Clarke]] (1823), "[[A Visit from Saint Nicholas]]", first published in the ''[[Troy Sentinel]]''. The [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/twas-the-night-before-christmas_n_801194 quotation] in the ''[[Huffington Post]]'' exhibits the problem with "smart quotes".</ref>}}
|{{serif|’{{hairsp}}Twas the night before Christmas&nbsp;...}}
|{{serif|‘{{hairsp}}Twas the night before Christmas&nbsp;...}}
|-
|{{mono|"'Hello,' he said, 'to you'"}}
|{{serif|“{{thinsp}}‘Hello,’ he said, ‘to you’{{thinsp}}”}}
|{{plainlist|
* {{serif|“{{thinsp}}‘Hello,’ he said, ‘to you’{{thinsp}}“}}
* {{serif|“{{thinsp}}’Hello,’ he said, ‘to you’{{thinsp}}”}}
}}
|}
In Windows, if it is necessary to follow a space with a closing quotation mark when Smart Quotes is in effect, it is usually sufficient to input the character using the Alt code shown [[#How to type|above]] rather than typing {{keypress|"}} or {{keypress|'}}.

== See also ==
* [[Guillemet]], the French quotation mark
* [[International variation in quotation marks]]
* [[Modifier letter double apostrophe]]
* [[ʻOkina]]
* [[Typewriter#Typewriter conventions|Typewriter conventions]]
* [[Western Latin character sets (computing)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Quotation mark}}
* [https://dwheeler.com/essays/quotes-in-html.html Curling Quotes in HTML, SGML, and XML]
* [http://cldr.unicode.org/development/development-process/design-proposals/delimiter-quotation-mark-proposal Quotation marks in the Unicode Common Locale Data Repository]
* [https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/ucs/quotes.html ASCII and Unicode quotation marks]{{spaced ndash}} discussion of the problem of ASCII [[grave accent]] characters used as left quotation marks
* [http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~ggbaker/reference/characters/ Commonly confused characters]
* [https://www.daube.ch/docu/glossary/quotation_marks.html Quotation mark]

{{Typography terms}}
{{navbox punctuation}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quotation Mark}}
[[Category:Punctuation of English]]
[[Category:Typographical symbols]]