Quotation marks
Quotation marks are a form of punctuation used to set apart words and passages within text, primarily to indicate direct speech or quotations from others. This practice allows writers to credit original sources, thereby avoiding plagiarism while enhancing their arguments. Quotation marks also serve to denote dialogue, highlight nicknames, and draw attention to specific words or phrases. Furthermore, they are employed in the titles of creative works such as songs, poems, and short stories.
Historically, quotation marks evolved from an ancient Greek mark called a diple, which was used to signal important passages in texts. Over time, this single mark transformed into the double comma shape familiar today, with standard usage largely established by the early nineteenth century. Quotation marks are typically presented in pairs, with double quotation marks surrounding the text; single quotation marks are used for quotes within quotes. Another variant is the "scare quotes," which indicate a word or phrase is being used in a non-standard or ironic sense. Understanding the proper use of quotation marks is essential for clear and respectful communication in writing.
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Quotation marks
Quotation marks are a form of punctuation that sets aside words and passages in a text. There are several reasons for doing this, but the most common is to indicate that they are words spoken or written by someone else. This allows a writer to use the words of others to make a point while ensuring that the originator of the statement is credited. The correct use of quotation marks helps writers avoid plagiarism. Quotation marks can also be used to signify dialogue, to indicate nicknames, call attention to words or phrases the writer wants the reader to notice, and indicate titles of songs, poems, short stories, and certain other works.
Overview
Quotation marks are derived from a mark used by Ancient Greeks called a diple. The arrow-shaped mark, similar to the modern “greater than” and “less than” arrows, was used in the margin of texts to draw attention to something within the text. This was a single mark that was changed into a double mark in some ancient musical manuscripts. Early Christian writers adopted the mark to highlight passages of particular importance, helping to spread its use throughout the known world.
In the sixteenth century, the arrow-shaped form of the diple was replaced by two commas, similar to the modern quotation mark. Eventually, the double comma mark began to be used in pairs to set off passages of text, often with one pair inverted. They were also elevated to near the top of the text line. By the early nineteenth century, printers of English text had mostly agreed to a matched pair of facing commas to distinguish quotations. Single quotation marks were also in use by this time.
Quotation marks look like commas that appear near the top of a line of text. Double quotation marks include two commas at each end of the text, while single quotations have one mark at each end. The primary use of quotation marks is to begin and end quoted text, usually passages that are thirty words or less. Longer passages are set off by indenting them from the paragraph in which they appear. Quotation marks make it clear that the material did not originate with the author (Her favorite poem starts out, “When I was one, I had just begun.”). Quotes within a quote use both double and single quotation marks (“Sam said the little boy yelled ‘Help me!’ when he fell in the pool.”).
Quotation marks are also used to indicate nicknames, as in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or when a writer wants to discuss a specific word or letter, as in “Does “cinema” start with an “s” or a “c”? They are also used to indicate the title of poems, short stories, book chapters, songs, articles, and television episodes, among other works.
Another type of quotation mark is the scare quote. This is like any other quote in appearance and is used to indicate that the writer wants to call attention to a word or phrase they are using ironically, sarcastically, or in some way other than the expected way (Bob’s “new” car had certainly seen better days).
Bibliography
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Ellis, Matt. “Quotation Marks: Rules and Examples.” Grammarly, 10 May 2023, www.grammarly.com/blog/quotation-marks/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
Houston, Keith. “The Long and Fascinating History of Quotation Marks.” Slate, 30 Jan. 2015, slate.com/human-interest/2015/01/quotation-marks-long-and-fascinating-history-includes-arrows-diples-and-inverted-commas.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
“How to Quotation Marks.” Purdue University, owl.purdue.edu/owl/general‗writing/punctuation/quotation‗marks/index.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
“How to Use Quotation Marks Correctly—An Introduction.” Capstone Editing, www.capstoneediting.com/blog/how-to-use-quotation-marks-correctlyan-introduction. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
“Punctuation Tips: How to Use ‘Scare Quotes’.” Proofed, proofed.com/writing-tips/punctuation-tips-how-to-use-scare-quotes/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
“Quotation Marks.” University of Arizona, writingcenter.uagc.edu/quotation-marks. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.
“What Are Quotation Marks (“) And How Do You Use Them?” Thesaurus.com, 3 Mar. 2022, www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/use-quotation-marks/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023.