Definition:
Either of a pair of punctuation marks (“curly” or "straight") used primarily to mark the beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word.
In the U.S., periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks. In the U.K., periods and commas go inside the quotation marks only for a complete quoted sentence; otherwise, they go outside. In all varieties of English, semicolons and colons go outside the quotation marks.
See also:
Etymology:
From the Latin, "how many"Examples and Observations:
- "Double marks are traditionally associated with American printing practice (as in the Chicago style) and single marks with British practice (as in the Oxford and Cambridge styles), but there is much variation in practice; double marks are more often found in British texts before the 1950s, and are usual in handwriting."
(Robert E. Allen, "Quotation Marks," The Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1992) - "You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"
(George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah) - "If you use a colloquialism or a slang word or phrase, simply use it; do not draw attention to it by enclosing it in quotation marks."
(William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style) - "[If] omitting material from the original sentence or sentences leaves a quotation that appears to be a sentence or a series of sentences, you must use ellipsis points, or three spaced periods, to indicate that your quotation does not completely reproduce the original."
(MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 2009) - "Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?'
Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'"
(Charles M. Schulz, Charlie Brown in "Peanuts")
Pronunciation: kwo-TAY-shun marks
Also Known As: inverted commas (chiefly British), quote marks, quotes, speech marks
