When to Use Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are used to quote statements, titles, and to highlight important and complex words. We can use single quotation marks and double quotation marks as per writing demand.

Our professionals assist you in the use of punctuation marks and quotation marks, and you know what is a fun part of it? The writers always get motivation from others’ work, so they love to mention their mentors’ words in their essays and sometimes in their biographies. In the same way, you can mention your favourite quotes with the help of quotation marks.

Let’s dig into the article to acknowledge the significance of the use of single quotation marks.

Quotation Marks Punctuation Rules in Grammar

Punctuation modifies and gives an attractive sculpting to our writing material, and emphasises conveying a real meaning, and brings soul to it through correct punctuation. And the grammar rules for quotation marks are so strict that they tend to dictate when to use quotation marks and where to place other punctuation before or after quotation marks.

That is a brief criterion for adding quotation marks and a comma after quotation marks or before them.

Quotation mark punctuation rules are simple yet strong to implement. Quotation marks, the symbol is (“000”), appear when you mention the topic name, direct speech, or any quotation related to the topic, and even explain jargon ( which are difficult words that professional writers use).

Another paramount is that quotation marks always come in pairs to enclose the statement and show the quoted boundary.

Comma after quotation marks

Now we already know the exact purpose of using quotation marks. But what will we do if a comma or a full stop pops up in the sentence?

There is a difference in placing a comma and a complete stop in British and American English writing. Britishers place both of these punctuation marks after quotation marks if they do not belong to the quoted statement. And Americans put them in quotation marks, whether they belong to it or not.

Quotation marks examples

We are giving easy-peasy examples to practice quotation punctuation marks:

• There was a label on the bottle that indicated it was a “baby powder.”
• He says, “Come out of your zone.”
• The topic we selected for the speech is “How to use metaphor in poetry.”
• Jonatan declares his authority over their family assets against his “step-brother.”
• She always says, “he and his family destroyed her reputation.”
• He said,” We will reach there on time.”
• We arrange the document in the “ formal pattern.”

When to Use Single or Double Quotation Marks

Whenever we have to highlight the significant words in a statement, we use quotation marks and we use them in pairs, first at the starting point and then at the end of the sentence to enclose it. There is a simple rule to add quotation marks in sentences. For single and double quotation marks, we add them as per the content requirement, whether it’s necessary to add punctuation. Let’s enable the topic of single vs double quotation marks to distinguish the differences.

Double quotation marks

The double quotation marks indicate direct speech and highlight titles that are quoted within the essay or speech. There is an exceptional case if you are citing something without copying exact words, then it’s not compulsory to add quotation marks. For example:

• He said he will take care of the mess that his colleague created.

In this example, we did not use any quotation marks, as you can see, we are not quoting the exact wording of the speaker.

When to use double quotation marks

US English professionals commonly use the double quotation mark. The symbol of this quotation mark is “ ”.  It specifies the poem titles, article topics, or highlights the unfamiliar words or references. It also clarifies the doubt and separates the essay from the quoted statement, and flawlessly moves the story. Dig some double quotation mark examples in sentences.

Double quotation marks examples

• He destroyed his son’s blocks, which were a “cardboard toy.”
• The title of this song is ” Manipulation.”
• He signed his contract with a brand name, “ Buzzerfied.”
• His last words before his demise were ” Please take care of my family and hand them over my property.”
• Martin and Johnson agreed on the clause of the contract that “ If party A breaks the contract, then a penalty will be doubled to pay within one month.”

You can make many sentences by following the pattern mentioned earlier through double quotation marks examples from your daily routine. Now, see the placement of the single quotation mark.

Single quotation marks

Single quotation mark symbol is ( ‘ ’ ). It serves as a sub-quotation when a quotation comes within a quotation. We can understand it with a quick example.

• “Whenever this song plays, his innocent face appears in front of my eyes and whispers in my ears that  ‘ We were meant to meet but not to live together’”

How to use single quotation marks

Single quotation marks are used when we add a mention quotation in quotation marks, but for the book titles and names of articles, and documentary titles, we add double quotation marks even if they come in direct speech quotation.

Single quotation marks examples

Although we had plenty of examples related to quotation marks, let’s get a brief look at when to use single quotation marks in sentences.

• She said, “ My coat was missing from the wedding venue, like ‘ Peter’s jacket was stolen last year’”

• “A book collection in my house is fantastic, ‘ the Authors gifted me at various fan meetings’’’

• I visited a piano shop and the owner suggested that “ We should not buy a piano just by its looks, until you feel a connection with its keys, and my friend once told me the same thing, ‘ Piano is not just an instrument, it’s the life of a musician’”

Difference Between Single and Double Quotation Marks

We have already discussed the single vs double quotation marks regarding symbol and representation. Let’s have a look at the differences between them in terms of linguistics, vocabulary, and grammar. 

• Let’s discuss the difference in British and American English quotation mark usage. It’s not wrong to say that in American English, the double quotation mark is used for direct speech and singular when quotes are within quotes. On the other hand, in British English, the game is reversed. The Double quotation mark is used as a sub-quotation, and the single quotation mark is used as a primary quotation mark.

• If the quotation is under 40 words in APA format, it will be considered in a single quotation mark.

Since we are discussing quotation marks, going through their types is compulsory.

Types of Quotation Marks in English Writing

We already had an idea of the single and double quotation marks due to covering this article, but there are two more interesting types of quotation marks in English writing, and those are:

• Curved Quotation Marks:  These are used by professional writers and are usually slightly curved in this shape (”).

• Straight Quotation Marks: A general shape of quotation marks appears in almost all QWERTY keyboards.

Sentence with quotation marks

If you express any emotion sarcastically or ironically in a sentence, you can enclose it in quotation marks; the rules are already mentioned above. So here we are sharing an example of a sentence with quotation marks.

• My principle to live life is simple: “ Do what your heart desires, not what society forces you to do.”

When to Use Quotation Marks vs Apostrophes

To understand their application of Quotation marks vs apostrophes, first, review why apostrophes are used in sentences. Apostrophes are used for contraction, possession, and usually replace the dropped letter, for example: 

• She is not working today.

But after application of the apostrophe, the sentence will look like,

• She isn’t working today.

Now, cover the real topic: when to use quotation marks vs apostrophes. Well, single quotation marks are similar to apostrophes, so it’s valid if people get confused in their utilisation. Quotation distinguishes between others’ sayings and your writing, while  Apostrophe emphasises the contraction which occurs to combine or shorten words. 

Wrap Up

Punctuation shows writers’ command of language and clarifies the context they are presenting to the world. 
Quotation marks significantly distinguish your essay and quote phrases; indeed, quotations substantially impact the reader’s mind, showing how thoughtful your message and writing are. Our website offers perfect essay writing while avoiding plagiarism. We can also learn to convey a strong emotional message through grammar, tips and tricks to our readers, and after reading this article, all your cloudy thoughts will certainly vanish, and the scenery will be clear to know when and how to use quotation marks.