Wednesday, November 6, 2019
8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks
8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks 8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks 8 Rules About Punctuation and Quotation Marks By Mark Nichol The use of full or partial quotation marks or of paraphrases calls for attention to detail and adherence to a few punctuation rules. Notice that the examples below are deliberately incorrect. 1. ââ¬Å"Most agree the word means something like: This stream meanders through something red.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ The words in the quotation collectively serve the grammatical function of a noun and are not set off from the attribution by a comma or a colon. 2. ââ¬Å"The motto, ââ¬ËMight makes rightââ¬â¢ applies here.â⬠In this similar case, ââ¬Å"the mottoâ⬠is an appositive for ââ¬Å"Might makes right,â⬠just as in ââ¬Å"the Web site DailyWritingTips.com,â⬠ââ¬Å"the Web siteâ⬠is an appositive of the siteââ¬â¢s name: ââ¬Å"The motto ââ¬ËMight makes rightââ¬â¢ applies here.â⬠To insert a comma implies that this is the only existing motto (though there should then be one after right as well to complete the restrictive phrase). 3. ââ¬Å"According to the book, at the first sign of an outbreak, ââ¬ËChildren were whisked home from summer camps in the middle of the night.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ If an incomplete quotation is completed by a preceding paraphrase, lowercase the first word of the partial quotation unless it is a proper noun. In this case, ââ¬Å"at the first sign of an outbreakâ⬠substitutes for the missing introductory phrase: ââ¬Å"According to the book, at the first sign of an outbreak, ââ¬Ëchildren were whisked home from summer camps in the middle of the night.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ In scholarly writing, the first letter of children should be bracketed to clarify that it was capitalized in the original source, but that nicety is unnecessary in general. 4. ââ¬Å"He concluded that what America needs most is a ââ¬Å"guiding beliefâ⬠for citizens, industry, and government.â⬠This sentence is essentially correct, but when a partial quote consists of such a brief phrase, ask yourself whether the quotation marks are justified; why not just paraphrase the entire sentence?: ââ¬Å"He concluded that what America needs most is a guiding belief for citizens, industry, and government.â⬠5. ââ¬Å"Her response was that she had ââ¬Ëdefinitely locked the door on my way out.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ A writer might deem it crucial to retain a partial quote, but if the speaker uses the first person, the quotation wonââ¬â¢t fit the reportorial third-person framing, and a paraphrase is necessary: ââ¬Å"Her response was that she had definitely locked the door on her way out.â⬠(Alternatively, you could paraphrase part of the direct quote ââ¬Å"Her response was that she had ââ¬Ëdefinitely locked the doorââ¬â¢ on her way outâ⬠but, again, with diminishing returns.) 6. ââ¬Å"The question is which selection is better?â⬠This is a conjectural question not literally stated, so it is only tangentially related to the other examples here, but itââ¬â¢s important to point out that such constructions should include a comma: ââ¬Å"The question is, which turnoff did she take?â⬠(However, when the sentence is not stated as a question, the comma should be omitted: ââ¬Å"The question is which selection is better.â⬠) 7. When asked to clarify his earlier statement, he said: ââ¬ËI have nothing to add.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ Writers frequently introduce a statement with a colon rather than a comma, but this construction is awkward, because a colon invites the reader to put on the brakes, rather than just slow down, a fleeting action the more flexible comma invites: ââ¬Å"When asked to clarify his earlier statement, he said, ââ¬ËI have nothing to add.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ (See also the second example, above.) Do retain the colon, however, when the attribution is an independent clause, as here: ââ¬Å"He made this shocking public statement: ââ¬ËI think there is a fair chance Perth will be the twenty-first centuryââ¬â¢s first ghost metropolis.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ 8. ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËThis [the subway bombing] is a minor thing that will develop into something major,ââ¬â¢ she added.â⬠When scholarly standards or journalistic integrity demands an exact quotation, but a full statement isnââ¬â¢t available, hereââ¬â¢s the conventional but clunky solution: Provide the rest of what the speaker or writer meant to say or the definite noun they didnââ¬â¢t provide in order to fortify your class or reporting assignment within brackets. But note that the bracketed insertion should replace, not supplement, the indefinite subject: ââ¬Å"ââ¬Ë[The subway bombing] is a minor thing that will develop into something major,ââ¬â¢ she added.â⬠Alternatively, especially in less-than-formal contexts (or even in newspaper reporting I wonââ¬â¢t tell), feel free when you are certain of the intended specifics to employ a handy technique called silent correction. In other words, bail on the brackets: ââ¬Å"The subway bombing is a minor thing that will develop into something major,â⬠she added.â⬠Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should AvoidCapitalization Rules for the Names of GamesDozen: Singular or Plural?
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