WRITE GUD... YOU ARE WHAT YOU WRITE
by Neal Doten
"Can I quote you on that?"
If you are writing for business or school, you probably don't use quotation marks very often. So, let me introduce you to the basics of using quotation marks. I'll bet once you know the rules - only a few easy ones - you will spice up your writing with quotations a little more often. They are a great way to make your writing interesting and keep your reader's attention.
How many types of quotation marks are there? Oh, oh! Did I hear someone say, "There's more than one type?" If so, it's OK. I ask this same question when I teach my basic reading and writing class, and more than one person gives me a blank look. I call this one of my "round-shouldered, flat-headed" questions. "Huh?" you ask.
A "round-shouldered, flat-headed" question is nothing new. I'm sure we've all experienced them at one time. When you are asked such a question (and you don't know the answer), the first thing you do is raise your shoulders in the classic "I don't know" gesture - "round-shouldered"... Then, when I tell you the answer (which, of course, you knew, but couldn't remember), you take the palm of your hand and smack it against your forehead in the familiar "Of course - that's the answer!" gesture - "flat- headed."
One thing I hope you noticed about the two preceding paragraphs, they both use quotation marks to indicate something someone said (a direct quote) OR a word requiring special emphasis (i.e., ensure the humorous context is not missed). Thus, you now have examples of one type of quotation mark. What is the other type?
The other type of quotation mark is the single mark ('...'). All of the ones used so far in this article have been the double marks ("..."). Of course, you need to know when to use the singles and when to use the doubles. The answer is very basic: use the double marks to enclose a basic (or standard quotation); use the single marks to enclose a quote within a quote. Here is an example to make the point more clear...
The old man said, "There is an old Chinese proverb that says, 'Birds of a feather flock together,' and I believe it."
There is one other thing you need to know about using quotation marks - where to put the punctuation before and after a quote. This is the most common error people make when using quotations. (Use the previous example of the old man's statement as a guide.) Place a comma and then a space before the opening quotation mark. The same is true for the quote within a quote. At the end of the quotation, place your punctuation (e.g., period, comma, etc.) then insert the closing quotation mark. Do not include a space between the punctuation and the closing quotation mark.
When using quotation marks for special emphasis words, the same rule applies regarding punctuation at the end of the word. Remember to put the punctuation right after the word, then insert the closing quotation mark(s).
That's it. There is really no great mystery about the use of quotation marks. Just follow the basics and start using quotations and the proper marks to improve your writing - you'll capture and hold your reader's attention.
Time to lighten things up a little... Richard Lederer's Adventures of a Verbivore contains some very entertaining clips that relate to the use of the English language - spoken and written. Here is a humorous one about not ending sentences with a preposition.
"My favorite of all terminal-preposition stories involves a boy
attending public school and one attending private school who happen to
be sitting next to each other in an airplane. To be friendly, the public
schooler turns to the preppie and asks, 'What school are you at?' The private
schooler looks down his aquiline nose at the public school student and
comments, ' I happen to attend an institution at which we are taught to
know better than to conclude sentences with prepositions.' The boy at public
school pauses for a moment and then says, 'All right, then. What school
are you at, dingbat!'"