Grammar (2) Quotations. (American English).

Proper use of quotation marks.

G. 2. Proper use of quotations.

This is something that most people can execute correctly. Unlike commas, which can have a load of confusing rules, quotation marks were taught to us very early on. However, there is debate on when and how to use them. What should I do when someone is talking in literature? What should I do when the narrator is thinking? While there are many ways to interpret the use of italics and quotations artistically, here are the grammatical rules. Any visual artist will tell you that you must know anatomy before you can bend it, such as in cartooning. Why? Because your drawings will never look quite real, or satisfying, if you don’t know how the skeleton and muscles work in a body. In essence, you must walk before you can crawl.

Always use double quotation marks around verbal speech. This means, in literature, when someone is talking directly to someone else.

Example 1:  ‘John’ in these sentences is speaking directly to ‘Alice’ in dialog.

1.      “Hey Alice, want to do the horizontal tango?” John said with a smirk.

2.      “Where do you live, Alice?” John inquired.

3.      “Let’s stop by the corner store, Alice!” John called as he kept on walking.

Look familiar? Like I said, this is common knowledge. What may not be common knowledge is that punctuation always goes inside of double quotations, regardless of what that punctuation is. At the end of a line of dialog, whether you use a period, a question mark, an exclamation mark, or a comma, it always goes inside. Also, one use of punctuation ends a quote, so nothing is needed afterward (such as another period or another coma).

Example 2:

CORRECT: “Here we are my darling assassin!” Jeremy said with a grin.

INCORRECT: 1. “Here we are my darling assassin!”, Jeremy said with a grin. 2. “Here we are my darling assassin!”. 3. “Here we are my darling assassin”, Jeremy said with a grin.

Single quotations are to be used for quotes inside of dialog. This would be, for instance, when one character quotes another.

Example 3:

1.      “Dan specifically said ‘don’t go anywhere’… so I’m staying put,” Austin snarled.

2.      “Jennifer told me that she was ‘scared of the dark’, how silly is that?” Jenna mocked.

3.      “Where in the hell is the treasure? Lanthiron said it was ‘right behind the old tree’. I guess he was lying,” Forna scoffed.

Now for the subjective part, thoughts; double quotation marks can be used for thoughts when it is signaled that the character is thinking. This can be confusing at first glance, though. Italics without quotations are also acceptable. What about single quotations? I had a harder time finding rules regarding this, believe it or not. If someone else knows better about whether or not they are grammatically correct, please let me know in a review. I personally like to use single quotations for thoughts because I feel like they accomplish the same thing as double quotations, but without the confusion.

Example 4:

Thoughts with double quotations: “I have to get home,” Audrey thought. “Who else will let the dog out?”

Thoughts with single quotations: ‘This is ridiculous. I hate being the bearer of bad news,’ Thought Jeff with remorse.

Thoughts with italics and no quotations: There is a massive light in the sky, Phreak thought with a grin. It must me the North Star.

Author's Note

I'll be posting a chapter here once a week, so check back for more!

Reviews

[Amorous Aida]

So helpful for people like me with great ideas and raw talent but not very much formal education or memory of grammar and the technical side of writing.

[GMAngel]

This is great and really helpful! Your examples made it easier to understand.

[Calamity]

Great examples.
Thanks again for the post.

[Arrinae]

This is a good idea. Very well written and easy to understand. This book of yours will definitely help a bunch of people.

[Meat of Dog]

Thank you! I'm glad to be of service to the community here.