Intermediate English Grammar for ESL Learners - Robin Torres-Gouzerh 2016

Quotation marks
23 Punctuation

Quotation marks are used for the title of a short work, to indicate direct quotations, to indicate a part of a large work, and to emphasize certain, often ironic words. Quotation marks indicate the direct comments of a speaker or remarks taken from written material.

“The Raven” is the title of a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. (TITLE of A SHORT WORK)

Mark Twain first became known for his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” (TITLE OF A SHORT WORK)

She said, “There they go again,” as the children raced back outside to play. (DIRECT QUOTATION)

In an article from last week’s Economist, I read that “10% of the world’s population controls 90% of the wealth.” (DIRECT QUOTATION)

“When Business Mergers No Longer Work” was an article published in the New Yorker. (PART OF A LONGER WORK)

I agree, the theater play was so “entertaining” that I slept through most of it.

His latest painting is proof of “his creative skills” and worth every cent of the $20 he wants for it.

Single quotation marks are used to enclose a quotation within another quotation. The first quote is noted in the standard way, with double quotation marks, and the embedded quote is noted with single quotation marks.

In his speech, Charles brought up an interesting point: “If Adam Smith wrote that ’the subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities,’ then why are people clamoring for a flat tax?”

Exercise 23.9 Insert quotation marks where needed. If none are needed, mark it with an X.

1. I met a woman who said she could make magic potions.

2. From what I hear, Joseph said the turning point in the novel is when Carlito tells his cousin, You should have never worked with Francisco in the first place; he’s not to be trusted.

3. She read The Palm-Tree and was very moved by the poem.

4. What do you think of John Coltrane’s tune My Favorite Things?

5. The morning newspaper mentioned that there might be snow tonight with a chance of hail and strong winds.

6. His father asked him, What would you like to do this summer, work or travel?

7. As Patrick walked away, she hesitated and then screamed, Will you go out with me?

8. The title of the book, How to Find Happiness Quickly, intrigued me.

9. We analyzed the play The Flies by Jean-Paul Sartre and his famous essay Americans and Their Myths.

10. The song Organ Donor is best qualified as groundbreaking.

11. The photographer encouraged the model by telling her, You’re doing really well, but I want you to relax a little more. When the camera is pointed at you, just imagine someone is saying to you, You’re the only one that can do this, and I want you to believe it!