Quotation marks(“ ”) are used to enclose words that are quoted from the original source, or to set off dialog from narrative.
Quote a phrase. When quoting someone word-for-word, use quotation marks to show the reader exactly which words are being borrowed from a particular source. This is especially important in research writing. For example:
Gilder states that “bandwidth grows at least three times faster than computer power.”—“Musings on Moore's Law and Other Laws of Technology” by Robert Swider and Dennis Kambury.
Use them for direct quotes. Use quotation marks to surround direct quotes from a source, person, article, or other source.
If the quote follows a statement, it should be preceded by a comma. A quotation that ends a sentence should contain the period, exclamation mark, or question mark within the quotation marks:
She said, “Shelly sells seashells by the seashore.”
Likewise, if a quote has text that follows it, there should be a comma placed within the quotation marks:
“Shelly sells seashells by the seashore,” according to today's newspaper.
Quote in context. A direct quote may be woven into a sentence already in progress (Example A), or it may be used in its entirety, either within or connected to a given sentence (Example B).
Example A: In a live interview, Mayor Candor admitted that “our politicians are failing to represent their constituents.”
B: Dr. Striker, chief of surgery at Middleton Hospital, announced today, “Our hospital will no longer be able to offer services to people who have no health insurance.”
Use quotation marks to set off dialog:
Tom said, “Look! I don't know how to use quotation marks, okay?” Betsy replied, “That’s unacceptable, Thomas. I’m not proud of you.”
Quote titles properly. Use quotations marks for titles of shorter works, as follows:
Song titles. "Tangled Up in Blue," by Bob Dylan
Short stories. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" By Philip K. Dick
Book chapters. Chapter I, "The Period," by Charles Dickens
Essays. "The Art of Procuring Pleasant Dreams," by Benjamin Franklin
Journal, magazine, or newspaper articles. "Get the Old Off the Road," by David Frum
One-act plays. "The Dumb Waiter," by Harold Pinter
TV episodes. "The Trouble With Tribbles," Star Trek
Punctuate quotes correctly. Commas and periods have their place, and when they're placed within quotes, there are some common errors that people make:
Periods go inside quotation marks: Bob Dylan wrote "Visions of Johanna."
Commas go inside quotation marks: Bob Dylan wrote "Visions of Johanna," and many other songs as well.
Question marks go outside quotation marks unless they're part of the quotation. Is Bob Dylan the composer of "Cold Irons Bound"? "Blade Runner" is based on the book by Philip K. Dick entitled "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
Use single quotation marks when appropriate. Enclose a quote within a quote by using a single set of quotation marks:
Shelby asked, "Hey Shelly did you say the other day, 'I sell seashells by the seashore?'"
In newspaper headlines, use a single quote: Congressman Shouts 'Liar' At Pres
When using single quotes to set aside key terms, punctuation goes outside the quotes: "Sartre's treatment of 'being', as opposed to his treatment of 'non-being', has been thoroughly described in Kaufmann's book.
