Grammar & Mechanics Mastering Quotation Marks
End of the Sentence 1 Start of the Sentence 1 Middle of the Sentence 1 Interrupted Quote 2 Quote Within a Question 2 But Keep in Mind... 2
Knowing which punctuation to use and where to place it around quotes can be a little daunting, especially when navigating question marks and exclamation points. This document will hopefully guide you through the most commonly quoted scenarios and how to punctuate them.
End of the Sentence Let's start with the most simple use. When a quote comes at the end of the sentence, we use a comma before the first quotation mark and the appropriate ending punctuation inside the second quotation mark. The first letter of the quote is capitalized.
I said, "I do not want to go. " She asked, "Wh at time is the game?" He shrieked, "Mouse!"
Start of the Sentence If the quote comes at the beginning of the sentence, well, that's a bit trickier. If it is a statement, use a comma inside the ending quotation mark. If it is a question or exclamation, use the appropriate punctuation inside the ending quotation mark. However, to show that the sentence continues, we use a lowercase letter after the ending quotation marks.
"Autumn is my favorite time of year, " he replied. "How much is that?" sh e asked. "Ouch! " she yelled.
Middle of the Sentence But what if the quote comes in the middle of the sentence? This is a bit unusual, but it would be treated as a combination of the two rules above. Use a comma b efore the quote. If it's a statement, use a comma i nside the ending quotation mark; however, if it is a question or exclamation, use the appropriate punctuation inside the quotation mark, then continue the sentence with a lowercase letter as in the examples above.
John declared, "I don't believe in mermaids," as one swam up to him. Mary asked, "Do you know him?" as he kissed my cheek. I thought, "I should hope so!" since that was rather intimate.
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Grammar & Mechanics Interrupted Quote On the flip side, how is it handled when the quote is interrupted by the rest of the sentence? Again, this is a combination of the two rules above. Place a comma inside the first set of quotes, another comma before the second set of quotes, and the appropriate ending punctuation inside the ending quotation mark. Since the quote is interrupted then continues, the second part of the quote will start with a l owercase letter.
"I don't mind going, " he quipped, "without you. " "Is it okay, " sh e demanded, "if I do go alone? " "Of course I don't mind," he exclaimed, "if you go alone!"
Quote Within a Question Here's a toughie! What if the quote is a s tatement but the surrounding sentence is a question or an exclamatory remark? In this case, the surrounding sentence's punctuation is placed outside the quote, since it is not actually a part of the quote. To avoid double punctuation, there is no comma or period inside the ending quotation mark.
Did he actually say, "I don't mind"? I can't believe you lied to me and said, "Mermaids don't exist"!
But Keep in Mind... ● We rarely use exclamation points in transcription. ● We d o use quotes for spoken punctuation, e.g. if the speaker specifically states, "Quote, unquote."
Said: She said she thought it was a, quote-unquote, jazzy outfit. Type: She said she thought it was a, quote-unquote, " j azzy" o utfit to wear to work. Or: She said she thought it was a, quote-unquote, "jazzy outfit" to wear to work.
Note that the placement of the quotation marks in such instances may be subjective depending on intonation.
For more information (including how to handle interruptions and false starts with quotes), please refer to the current Style Guide.
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