Quotations Within Quotations
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Quotations Within Quotations
Almost all of us have found ourselves confused with double and single quotation marks. When do we use single quotation marks? Where does the punctuation go with single quotation marks? With just a few rules and examples, you will feel surer about your decisions.
How to Quote a Quote
Rule: Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation.
Example
Bobbi told me, “Delia said, ‘This will never work.’ ”
Notice that what Delia said was enclosed in single quotation marks. Notice also that the period was placed inside both the single and the double quotation marks. The American rule is that periods always go inside all quotation marks.
As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.
Example
Bobbi said, “I read an interesting article titled ‘A Poor Woman’s Journey.’ ”
Rule: Question marks and exclamation points, unlike periods, follow logic with their placement. If a quote inside a quote is a question or exclamation, place the question mark or exclamation point inside the single quotation marks.
Examples
Bobbi said, “Delia asked, ‘Will this remote control work on my TV?’ ”
Bobbi said, “Delia shouted, ‘Get your hands off me!’ ”
Rule: If the question is inside the double quotation marks, place the question mark between the single and double quotation marks.
Example
Bobbi asked, “Did Delia say, ‘This will never work’?”
(Because you will rarely need an exclamation point within the double quotation marks and not within the single quotation marks, there is little sense discussing this.)
Rule: In the above three examples, only one ending punctuation mark was used with the quotation marks. The rule is that the “stronger” mark wins. Question marks and exclamation points are considered stronger than the period. Period!
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
How do you put quotations within quotations within quotations.
Example: “My dad said, ‘Son, don’t pay too much attention to what people ‘think’ as most people don’t'” How do I mark the word “think?”
“My dad said, ‘Son, don’t pay too much attention to what people “think” as most people don’t.’ ”
OR
My dad said, “Son, don’t pay too much attention to what people ‘think’ as most people don’t.”
(Note: Punctuation of the above sentences could be simplified by omitting quotation marks around the word think. From the context, we don’t see that quotation marks are necessary there.)
When are single quotations used?
The best time of summer is ‘after supper time.’
Single quotation marks are used inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation or title within a quotation.
Joe said, “My favorite poem is ‘The Raven.’ ”
In your example, there are no quotation marks necessary.
The best time of summer is after supper time.
Rule 1
Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks, even inside single quotes.
Why are so many people putting periods outside the quotation marks today???
Your guess is as good as ours, but one possibility is that the British rule puts the period outside of the quotation marks for some situations. Thus, you may be noticing it more often because the internet is bringing international writing to your attention. Another possibility is simply that people don’t know the rule for American English punctuation.
Directly from the OWL:
Quotations within a Quotation
Use single quotation marks to enclose quotes within another quotation.
The reporter told me, “When I interviewed the quarterback, he said they simply ‘played a better game.'”
That is consistent with our rule above:
Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation.
Is the following correct? the person is answering the question
“Because you were still a little boy.”
“Yes, too young to grasp what he meant by the words, ‘never forget the land, Henry.’ He told me I would never be poor if I have land, ‘especially this land because it is pure gold.’ Those were his exact words.”
A question should be noted by a question mark. Also, capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence.
“Because you were still a little boy?”
“Yes, too young to grasp what he meant by the words, ‘Never forget the land, Henry.’ He told me I would never be poor if I have land, ‘especially this land, because it is pure gold.’ Those were his exact words.”
I need to use APA format and often have block quotations (don’t require use of quotation marks). Do I use single or double quotation marks to quote within a block quotation?
Here’s an example:
You know. And again, Eric [friend that had MI] is not a very big guy. Like before you saw me today, you would have thought “oh this guy had a heart attack, he’s got to be 300 pounds.” Or some people think just because somebody has a heart attack or they’re diabetic or a huge big guy, big person. And no people are surprised that “you had a heart attack?”
Thank you!
You should use double quotation marks to quote within a block quotation, but the final phrase within quotation marks is not a direct quote. This passage has many other serious mistakes in it, in fact, too many to go into here. Are you sure you even want to use it?
Editing a yearbook and the yearbook person took down a quote from the librarian and wrote it like this:
“I love being the Librarian at Millsap
and working with every grade level!!
It brings a smile to my face when I
see students getting excited about
the books they pick as well as
finding “that book” they have been
wanting for so long!”
I was wondering if “that book” should be in single quotes???
Thank you for the assistance!
That book is a quotation within a quotation, therefore use single quotes. Also, since it is not used as part of a name, the title librarian should not be capitalized. In addition, exclamation points should be used with discretion. You might want to consider removing all of them. But if you decide to keep any, only one exclamation point should be used after the word level.
“I love being the librarian at Millsap
and working with every grade level.
It brings a smile to my face when I
see students getting excited about
the books they pick as well as
finding ‘that book’ they have been
wanting for so long.”
I am being instructed to use single quotation inside double, but am not sure how exactly to put the double due to how the sentence is worded.
Fortunato responds to the suggestion by saying, “Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.”
Does the single go within the double? Or does it start at the beginning of the sentence? I have never had to do this before and I will admit that I graduated high school 20 years ago and am in English Comp II now. Been a while for me. Any help on this would really be appreciated.
The double quotation marks in your sentence are placed correctly. We are not sure where single quotation marks, which are used to indicate a quotation within a quotation, could be added without rewording the exact quote from Poe’s story. Here is an example sentence using single quotation marks within double quotation marks:
Fortunato responded, “Luchesi said, ‘I cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.’ ”
Note that we recommend a space between the single and double quotation marks at the end as a courtesy to the reader.
When quoting from literature and the quote consists entirely of words spoken by a character, should the entire quote be in nested (” ‘ quote’ “) quotation marks or in just the double (“quote”) quotation marks? If the quote is introduced outside of the quotation, it seems distracting and unnecessary to use the nested quotes. Thanks.
Your question is difficult to answer without an example. If the entire quotation is spoken by one character, if there is no quotation within a quotation, and if there are no interrupters within the quotation such as she said or she continued, then only double quotation marks are used.
I’m writing a paper in which I want to quote a single verse from the Bible, but that verse has a quote within a quote. How do I punctuate that? Example: The prophet Agabus employed multisensory teaching: “ He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into Gentile hands.’’”
Thanks.
The prophet Agabus employed multisensory teaching. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into Gentile hands.’ ”
What do I do if I have quotations inside quotations inside quotations?
Im quoting from a book for a project and it already has quotations inside quotations…
For quotations inside quotations inside quotations, alternate using single and double quotation marks.
Example (note the placement of the period): I found a note that said, “Joe stopped by to inform us, ‘Al just told me, “I can’t go that day.” ‘ ”
Does it matter whether or not you put a space between them? Is it a stylistic preference? I’ve seen both of the following on this site.
For example, “Joe said, ‘hello.’” Versus: “Joe said, ‘hello.’ ”
In the recently published eleventh edition of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, we added a rule recommending a visible space between adjacent single and double quotation marks. This is considered standard practice and a courtesy to the reader. We have not yet changed all of the previously written comments to reflect this change.
I think I have seen a quote within a quote with a question mark listed two ways here – inside both quotation marks, and in between the two. I am confused!
How would it be with the following sentence:
“Did you say ‘goddaughter?’” or
“Did you say ‘goddaughter’?”
Thank you!
If the question is inside the double quotation marks, place the question mark between the single and double quotation marks. Example:
She asked, “Did you say ‘goddaughter’?”
If I am writing a formal letter, & I wish to quote a famous author, who includes a quote inside her quote (such as the Bible), will I be in error if I change the author’s DOUBLE quotes to SINGLE quotes?
That is considered a quotation within a quotation. It is correct to put the author’s quoted material in single quotes.
What about the Wendell Johnson quote? This is how I’ve typed it previously:
“‘Always’ and ‘never’ are two words you should always remember never to use.”
Is that correct?
Rule 4 of “Quotation Marks” on our website says, “As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.” Therefore, we recommend writing “ ‘Always’ and ‘never’ are two words you should always remember never to use.” To avoid this issue, you may italicize Always and never.
Your examples all start with the introductory phrase, but for sentences that reverse the order, as is often seen in dialog, I assume that the rules would still hold, resulting in something like this:
“He left after saying, ‘I will go where I must,'” the young man offered.
as opposed to having the comma between the ending single and double quotes. Is that correct?
Your sentence is punctuated correctly, however, as a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks. A comma never goes between the ending single and double quotes, it comes before.
“He left after saying, ‘I will go where I must,’ ” the young man offered.
What kind of punctuation should be used for a quote within a block quotation (i.e., offset with no punctuation?) Single or double quotes?
The Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 13.29 says, “Although material set off as a block quotation is not enclosed in quotation marks, quoted matter within the block quotation is enclosed in double quotation marks—in other words, treated as it would be in text.”
This post is very helpful and perhaps I am over-thinking this, but when I have single quotes inside double quotes that are at the end of a sentence but not the end of the double quote, does the period go between inside the single quote or after? Example:
“It is time for ‘real reform’. We can no longer sustain under the current program.”
In American English, periods go inside the quotation marks, including single quotation marks.
I’d sure like to know how to punctuate a nested quote followed by a parenthetical citation.
For example:
“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you’” (Genesis 3:16, NKJV).
Is it correct to leave out the period at the end of the quoted sentence and place it only after the parentheses? Or should that end with:
…rule over you.’” (Genesis 3:16, NKJV).
Also, would the rule be any different if the quote itself contained more than one sentence?
This is an area where various reference books differ in their recommendations. There appears to be general agreement that the period should follow the closing parenthesis of the citation. However, placement of the closing quotation marks differs among, for instance, the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and Turabian style, which complicates the method to use for a quotation within a quotation. Our interpretation of APA style would result in the following:
“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you’ ” (Genesis 3:16, NKJV).
If the quote consisted of more than one sentence, then it stands to reason that a period would appear at the end of the first sentence. However, the period for the second sentence would appear after the parentheses. Also, note that we recommend a space between the single and double quotation marks to avoid confusion.
With regard to quote within a quote, what happens when one of the people speaking starts telling a story and the story has dialogue. Do still open each paragraph with a double quote as the main character is telling the story and what happens when the character in the story’s dialogue also expands more than one paragraph. Can you clarify this issue with nested dialogues or stories.
The Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 13.31 says, “If a run-in quoted passage contains an interior quotation that runs for more than one paragraph, a single quotation mark appears at the beginning and end of the interior quotation, and both double and single quotation marks appear before each new paragraph belonging to it. If the interior quotation concludes at the same point as the including one, the single closing quotation mark precedes the double one.”
Boss has this but I disagree:
“Will organizations be able to mitigate their fine merely by showing that they had a compliance program “on paper?”
should it be:
“Will organizations be able to mitigate their fine merely by showing that they had a compliance program ‘on paper?'”
also is there any space b/n the single quote and double quote at the end of a sentence. the strait quotes show more space than the curly but we use curly.
thanks
You are correct that single quotation marks should be used, and we normally recommend a single space between adjacent single and double quotation marks. However, in this case
your question mark is out of place. The sentence should read, “Will organizations be able to mitigate their fine merely by showing that they had a compliance program ‘on paper’?”
What if you have three or more quotes within quotes? example: I am quoting a quote from a story, but that quote contains dialogue. (And I kept telling you as if I were in a room, ‘Go away. Stop knocking on the door! I do not want to let you into this room’…) continue in a pattern (” ‘And I kept telling you as if I were in a room, “Go away. Stop knocking on the door! I do not want to let you into this room”…’ “)
We recommend writing the quotation as follows:
“And I kept telling you as if I were in a room, ‘Go away. Stop knocking on the door! I do not want to let you into this room.’ “
In Chicago style, if we are using a quote from a person involved in an incident as published in a newspaper and only that quote, do we need to use single as well as double quotes, or should we say “quoted in” in the parenthetical citation, or if we clearly identify the speaker, do we need to use anything other than the double quotes? Such as, we say: According to the victim, “I was alarmed” (The New York Times 2013, January 13, 3). Is that OK?
If the author of the article is stated in the newspaper, that person should be given credit. Following the Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 14.206, your citation could read as follows with and without an author:
John Doe reports that the victim stated, “I was alarmed” (New York Times, January 13, 2013).
According to the victim, “I was alarmed” (New York Times, January 13, 2013).
I was wondering if single quotation marks could be used to reference a previously quoted piece of dialogue.
For example (in fiction writing):
“What?” I asked.
And then later, after thoughts follow, the character getting lost in their head:
“You heard me,” he replied, and it took me a second to remember I’d phrased ‘what’ as a question.
I realize I could write the last sentence to say “…and it took me a second to realize I’d asked a question.” But I was wondering if the single quotation would be incorrect or if the word ‘what’ should be in double quotation marks.
Thanks.
Single quotation marks are valid only within a quotation. Therefore, we recommend using double quotation marks or italics for the word what.
If a character in a novel is reading a newspaper article aloud, would that be a quote within a quote ( ” ‘) or simply a quote (“)? Also, would the same rule apply to a character singing an operatic aria, for example?
Thank you for your input in this matter.
In both of your examples, if the character is quoting directly from the source, you would need single quotation marks within double quotation marks.
I am quoting Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” and there is one part I need to quote in my essay that reads as follows: And then from out of Lennie’s head there came a little fat old woman. She wore thick bullseye glasses and she wore a huge gingham apron with pockets, and she put her hands on her hips, and she frowned disapprovingly at him. And when she spoke, it was in Lennie’s voice. “I told you and told you,” she said, “I told you, ‘Mind George because he’s such a nice fella and good to you.’ ” If I put double quotes around this section of the book, then single quotes around what Aunt Clara is saying, which punctuation mark do I use when she quotes herself within the single quotes?
For quotations inside quotations inside quotations, alternate using single and double quotation marks. Your quotation would be correct as is, if you indented it to let the reader know that you are quoting from the book. Or you could do it this way, which gets a bit dizzying:
“And then from out of Lennie’s head there came a little fat old woman. She wore thick bullseye glasses and she wore a huge gingham apron with pockets, and she put her hands on her hips, and she frowned disapprovingly at him. And when she spoke, it was in Lennie’s voice. ‘I told you and told you,’ she said, ‘I told you, “Mind George because he’s such a nice fella and good to you.” ‘ “
This was really helpful, thank you.
How do I properly place the quotation marks when quoting a passage that starts with a quote within a quote but ends with the quote?
Example: I want to quote the following passage verbatim in my history paper starting with the word “sacred” and ending with the word “believe”
The passage reads:
[“sacred land” of freedom, where it is impossible to believe]
So how do I quote this entire passage since it begins with a quote and more specifically how many quotes do I start with?
Should it be:
‘sacred land of freedom,’ where it is impossible to believe”
or something else?
Please help and thank you in advance.
” ‘Sacred land of freedom,’ where it is impossible to believe.”
I’m writing an essay, and i was really confused because there was a quote in the essay that i wanted to quote after it ended, and i don’t know how to punctuate it properly. Is this how i should punctuate it? (This is just an example) “‘ I know what will happen’ John said”
” ‘I know what will happen,’ John said.”
A Bible quote is included in a book I am formatting. The entire quote is from Jesus. A double quote and a single quote are used at the beginning and the end. That seems to not be necessary to me. Since the entire quote is Jesus’ words wouldn’t double quotes be sufficient and the single quotes be deleted?
See example:
“‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’”
Luke 4:18-19
It seems to us that the author of the book is implying that Luke is quoting Jesus. Therefore, this may qualify as a quotation within a quotation. Not being Bible scholars, we will let you decide. If you end up using single and double quote marks, as a courtesy make sure there is visible space at the start and end of the quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks:
“ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ ”
Luke 4:18-19
is the following correct?
“ ‘Atticus, are we going to win it?’ ‘No, honey.’ ‘Then why-’ ‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,’ Atticus said.”
there are 2 people talking and it looks weird to me for some reason.
also how would I put in the other person talking without messing with the quote?
for example is it like
“ ‘(Scout) Atticus, are we going to win it?’ “
This appears to be a passage from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. If you are quoting from the book, we recommend:
” ‘Atticus, are we going to win it?’
‘No, honey.’
‘Then why?’
‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,’ Atticus said.”
When quoting a quote from an article, what would you do? For example, quoting something from Dr. Seuss: “And will you succeed? Yes you will indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)” But, this was already quoted in the article so you need to quote what the person said, not Dr. Seuss. (For better emphasis, imagine that the article had a scientist create a claim and they stated it with no introduction.) What I’m asking is would it be: single quotation, double quotation, quote, single quotation, double quotation or the single quotation mark and double quotation mark reversed, etc, etc? Could somebody shed some light?
Since you posted the question in the “Quotations Within Quotations” post, if a scientist is quoting Dr. Seuss, the person quoting the scientist would use double, single, single, double quotation marks respectively.
Ok, I have a question. What if the text I need to cite is a paragraph starting with double quotation marks, such as a this text:
“What,” said he, “makes the difference between man and all the rest of the animal creation?[…]”
How shall I quote it? Should I use single quotation marks so as to avoid two double quotations together? Like:
‘“What,” said he, “makes the difference between man and all the rest of the animal creation?[…]”‘
Or what should I do?
Thank you very much for your time.
As the post states, “As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.” We recommend the following:
” ‘What,’ said he, ‘makes the difference between man and all the rest of the animal creation?’ “
What if you need to quote something that is already quoted ? Like
“If life does exist somewhere on Mars,” scientist Steve remarked “it has managed…..”
Would you do “‘If life does exist somewhere on Mars,” scientist Steve remarked “it has managed…..”‘
As the post states, use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation. As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.
” ‘If life does exist somewhere on Mars,’ scientist Steve remarked, ‘it has managed … ‘ “
You are very patient in explaining over and over again. I like your article; found it by searching for an answer on quotes within quotes for a friend when said friend didn’t believe me. And I’ve been an editor & writer for [mumble] decades. Bah. Anyway, thanks for the clear article and for your willingness to respond to everyone.
Thank you for the kind words.
I second this.
How about this dilemma: A quote within a quote within a quote:
Is A or B correct?
A.
The Administration reported in it’s daily blogpost, “In awarding his student, Mr Moore said, ‘Class, I was impressed when Kari told me that her father’s dictionary states […if you want to right a quote within a quote within a quote, you use brackets] so I awarded her a squirrel nugget.’”
B.
The Administration reported in it’s daily blogpost, “In awarding his student, Mr Moore said, ‘Class, I was impressed when Kari told me that her father’s dictionary states ‘…if you want to write a quote within a quote within a quote, you use brackets’ so I awarded her a candy.’”
Neither is correct. We recommend the following, but it should be noted that the recommendation to use brackets is incorrect:
The Administration reported in its daily blog post, “In awarding his student, Mr Moore said, ‘Class, I was impressed when Kari told me that her father’s dictionary states ” … if you want to write a quote within a quote within a quote, you use brackets,” so I awarded her a candy.’ “
Is the following statement written correctly?:
As states in Keyishian v. Board of Education, 1967, “The classroom is peculiarly the ‘marketplace of ideas.’ The Nation’s future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to that robust exchange of ideas which discovers ‘truth out of a multitude of tongues, [rather] than through any kind of authoritative selection.’ ”
Yes.
Why do news websites use single quotation marks in their headlines and video descriptions but use double quotation marks in the body of the article?
Example:
Trump Pledges to Keep ‘America First’
…outlining his forceful vision of a new national populism and echoing the same “America first” mantra that swept him to victory last November.
Sorry if this was discussed already.
You make a good observation. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends using single quotation marks in headlines. AP Stylebook is a guide specific for news media and journalists.
Based on what I have read above, is this correct? This is a dialogue I am writing, the portion inside the single quotation marks is a direct quote from the book.
Me: “Choose a seat that shows the group you are there to be an active participant. Sit ‘directly in the circle in a flexible seating space, close to a circular table, or at a central point at a square or rectangular table’ ” (Galanes & Adams, 2013, p. 42).
Without seeing the broader context, it appears you are on the right track. However, writing Me with a colon is not a standard way to write a quotation in formal writing. We suggest something like the following:
I instructed, “Choose a seat that shows the group you are there to be an active participant. Sit ‘directly in the circle in a flexible seating space, close to a circular table, or at a central point at a square or rectangular table’ ” (Galanes & Adams, 2013, p. 42).
I wanted to know, is it,
The clerk sighed. “That’s why I always tell people you should never put a bag down without keeping an eye on it, especially in this place.”
Or, “That’s why I always tell people, “you should never put a bag down without keeping an eye on it,” especially in this place.”
Also:
Is it,
Pertaining to answering a person as to what a message says,
Jenna took the phone out of Darla’s bag. It stopped ringing. She opened it and said, “It’s a text message from Daddy.”
“What does it say?”
“It says, ‘Honey, I’m on my way home, hope dinner is ready when I get there.’ ”
or
“It says, Honey, I’m on my way home, hope dinner is ready when I get there. ”
And,
“Did you just say you’re with your mother?”
or
“Did you just say, “you’re with your mother?’ ”
And,
“It’s like you said at the club the other night, ‘hard work really pays off.’ ”
or
“It’s like you said at the club the other night, hard work really pays off. ”
Which ones are correct
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Regarding the clerk, the use of quotes depends on whether those are the exact words the clerk uses with people or whether that’s the gist of what the clerk says. You may use your discretion as the author.
If the exact words:
The clerk sighed. “That’s why I always tell people, ‘You should never put a bag down without keeping an eye on it, especially in this place.’ ”
If not the exact words:
The clerk sighed. “That’s why I always tell people you should never put a bag down without keeping an eye on it, especially in this place.”
Jenna took the phone out of Darla’s bag. It stopped ringing. She opened it and said, “It’s a text message from Daddy.”
“What does it say?”
“It says, ‘Honey, I’m on my way home; hope dinner is ready when I get there.’ ”
“Did you just say you’re with your mother?”
“It’s like you said at the club the other night, ‘Hard work really pays off.’ ”
What if the speaker is not quoting someone? For instance, if the sentence is: “In a world where success is usually based on monetary intake, it takes a special person to accept a “call” to teach,” wrote Erik. “I believe I have been “called” to help children.”
Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks.
“In a world where success is usually based on monetary intake, it takes a special person to accept a ‘call’ to teach,” wrote Erik. “I believe I have been ‘called’ to help children.”
To us, these uses of call and called are commonly understood and do not require quotation marks.
This is a testimony in a court setting. I am not sure how to set off the quotes by the witness. The problem for me is whenever he says I said” because he is saying what he said, which is a quote within a quote, but it is him repeating what he himself said. Hope that makes sense.
If the entire testimony is placed within quotation marks, then the portions following I said should be placed within single quotation marks.
I’m proofreading a manuscript that has several instances of the author using single quotes within dialogue like this: “You can call me ‘Dave’,” he said. It seems to be punctuated correctly, but I’m wondering if the single quotes are necessary. I suppose it does prevent ambiguity so that the reader doesn’t think that the person speaking is telling someone named Dave to call him, but it seems unlikely that anyone would misinterpret this sentence if we simply deleted the single quotation marks, and it certainly looks cleaner without them. On the other hand, a few lines down the author has a similar sentence of dialogue: “She even calls him ‘Dinosaur’ because of his old-fashioned beliefs.” I’m more hesitant to delete the single quotation marks in this instance because it does seem to make the meaning of the sentence clearer. And I think if I keep the single quotation marks in one instance like this, I probably need to keep them in every instance for the sake of consistency. Your thoughts? (Much appreciated, by the way!)
The capitalization signals proper nouns: Dave as a name and Dinosaur as a descriptive or characterizing word used instead of a person’s name. We see no need for single quotes.
In addition, if the speaker were addressing someone else instead of referring to himself, the punctuation would be: You can call me, Dave.
Can you please help in the punctuation of quotes within quotes?
Are the following sentences correct?
Humpty Dumpty said, “The students offered these answers: ‘I love English’ and ‘I would love to love English.’”
Humpty Dumpty said, “The students offered these answers: ‘I love English,’ ‘I like English (do I have a choice?),’ and ‘I would love to love English.’”
Humpty Dumpty said, “The students offered these answers: ‘I love English,’ ‘I like English (do I have a choice?),’ ‘Who the devil are you, anyway?’ and ‘I would love to love English.’”
Yes, the sentences are correctly punctuated; however, as we state in this post, “As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.” Therefore, we recommend the following:
Humpty Dumpty said, “The students offered these answers: ‘I love English’ and ‘I would love to love English.’ ”
Humpty Dumpty said, “The students offered these answers: ‘I love English,’ ‘I like English (do I have a choice?),’ and ‘I would love to love English.’ ”
Humpty Dumpty said, “The students offered these answers: ‘I love English,’ ‘I like English (do I have a choice?),’ ‘Who the devil are you, anyway?’ and ‘I would love to love English.’ ”
Please, does the “hey” need to start with a capital letter?
“So, I thought ‘hey, why not?’ And it turns out that it’s not that hard to do.”
Yes, always capitalize the first word in a complete quotation, even midsentence or as a quotation within a quotation. Also, use a comma to introduce a direct quotation. Because a comma after the word “So” could be considered to be discretionary, we recommend omitting it so as not to overburden your sentence with commas: So I thought, “Hey, why not?” And it turns out that it’s not that hard to do. (It’s not apparent to us from the context how this is a quotation within a quotation.)
Can someone help with this double and single quote text?
Is this correct? It is from a text that I am quoting in a conversation between 2 people.
“ ‘Jimmy if they were going to kill me, would you have told me?’ I asked as he drove me back to my car.
‘What would you expect?’ he countered.
‘I’d expect you to tell me!’
As I said it, the truth drained from the words, and Jimmy picked up on it.
‘If they were going to kill me, would you tell me, Michael?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘That’s sick, isn’t it, Jimmy? What kind of friends are we? What kind of life is this?’ ”
Your double and single quotation marks are done correctly.
So if there is a quote that is inside of a quote in a quote, would you use double quotation marks for the innermost quote?
Ex: “The lone dissent came from Justice Potter Stewart, who argued that the majority had ‘misapplied a great constitutional principle.’ He wrote, ‘I cannot see how an [ ‘ or ” ?] official religion [ ‘ or ” ?] is established by letting those who want to say a prayer say it. On the contrary, I think that to deny the wish of these school children to join in reciting this prayer is to deny them the opportunity of sharing in the spiritual heritage of our Nation.’” (I put brackets around the innermost [?] quote)
For information regarding quotations within quotations within quotations, please see our reply to Ray of August 23, 2010, and our response to Nadia of May 7, 2014. Also, for extended quotations, you may want to consider indentation to eliminate the opening and closing set of quotation marks (see Rule 8 of Colons).
In my story, I have a character reading from a plaque out loud and adding her own comment. What is written on the plaque is a quote from that person. Do I use single or double quotation marks? And does that quote need to be italicized?
Example: “John W. Smith,” Cassie read aloud. ” ‘To do so would be a waste of time!’ I totally agree!”
Thank you!
Your sentence is punctuated correctly. There is no reason to italicize the quote.
In English I have to quote a character speaking out loud and he says a quote within his speech. So I typed “ ‘ “Many mansions” is the Lord’s way of saying that he loves all of mankind’ ” (Courtenay 258). Is this citation correct? It looks so weird when I type it out.
That’s a good try, but the following is correct:
“ ‘Many mansions’ is the Lord’s way of saying that he loves all of mankind” (Courtenay 258).
The space between the end single quote and double quote marks is very nice. Was it intentional or simply due to choice of font?
The space is intentional. As the post states, “As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.”
How would you read a quote within a quote out loud?
For example, Sally said, “Don’t be so ‘stupid’ all the time.” Would you say, “Sally said quote don’t be so quote stupid end-quote all the time end-quote,” or “Sally said quote dont be so stupid all the time end-quote”?
Leading with “Sally said” already signals that what follows is quoted material. Speaking the word quote could be optional but seems unnecessary. We see no reason to place stupid in quotation marks.
Is this correct?
I said, “John, why do you keep asking, ‘What is this?’ ”
I translate audio so I cannot change the structure of the sentence. I’m just not sure about the question mark because there are actually two question, but I’m assuming you only need to use a single question mark and not …’What is this?’?”
The question mark should immediately follow the original sentence being quoted. Because a sentence should have only one ending punctuation mark, your first version is correct:
I said, “John, why do you keep asking, ‘What is this?’ ” (We like your inclusion of a space between the single and double quotation marks at the end.)
Everyone seems to have missed an incredibly obvious question. How do you do this when the quote within a quote does not end the sentence?
ie: “Mama will never forgive you. ‘We’ve little rope left,’ she likes to say.”
Did I do that right?
Your sentence is punctuated correctly.
In the book it looks like this: “ ‘If you remember,’ ” said Carton, dictating, “ ‘ The words that passed between us, long ago, you will readily comprehend this when you see it.’ ”
Then what would it look like if I wanted to quote that in an essay? Would it be: “ “ ‘…?
Although we’re not seeing the context that makes this a quotation within a quotation, we’ll assume that it is. However, there appear to be errors either in the book or in your transcription of the passage. We would think it should be:
” ‘If you remember,’ said Carton, dictating, ‘the words that passed between us, long ago, you will readily comprehend this when you see it.’ ”
For quotations inside quotations inside quotations, you may alternate using double and single quotation marks:
” ‘ “If you remember,” said Carton, dictating, “the words that passed between us, long ago, you will readily comprehend this when you see it.” ‘ ”
Alternatively, it may be clearer to use italics: ” ‘If you remember,’ said Carton, dictating, ‘the words that passed between us, long ago, you will readily comprehend this when you see it.’ “
When a quotation is within a very long quotation with many paragraphs, each paragraph should start with a double quotation mark and be indented, but if that paragraph starts with a quote then does it have both a double followed by a single?
Normally, indenting a long quoted passage alleviates the need for quotation marks. However, if the quoted passage itself contains another quotation, then use double quotation marks at both the beginning and end of that included quoted material.
Thanks for your explanation; it is very helpful.
I have a question.
In the second example above you wrote:
Bobbi said, “I read the article, ‘A Poor Woman’s Journey.’ ”
So shouldn’t it be “I read the article ‘A poor Woman’s Journey,’ ” without a comma after “article”?
That’s a good question, Bande. Since you are not given any context to this quotation, you don’t know whether this one article has already been referenced by someone in the conversation Bobbi is having (non-restrictive appositive—separate with comma) or whether Bobbi is referencing this article from among two or more articles previously mentioned (restrictive appositive—no comma). Therefore, it could go either way. We have revised the example so that the point we are trying to make regarding single and double quotation marks is clear.
How do you put quotation marks on two separate quotations from a book but mentioned into adjacent sentences?
Is the below example correct or do we need to put them into separate quotation marks? Also, is there any specific rule to follow for this instance? I am following CMOS.
At the same time, though, it made him “a very efficient clergyman. He became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin.”
These were taken from the original:
Among all its bad influences, the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman. By the aid of his mysterious emblem–for there was no other apparent cause–he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin.
At the same time, though, it made him “a very efficient clergyman … he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin.”
Please see our rules for Ellipses.
If you have a quote within a quote, and you need to use an apostrophe, how can you make sure the reader can differentiate between the end of the inside quote and the apostrophe? Is it just based on context?
Sometimes you will be able to notice a subtle difference between a single quotation mark and an apostrophe, depending on your software and web browser. If you know how to do it, you could code the punctuation marks to use straight apostrophes to differentiate them from quotation marks (see example below). If not, you will need to rely on context.
Bobbi asked, “Did Delia say, ‘I can't and I won't’?”
So simplify it for me, I need to know when the single quote [ ‘ ] goes INSIDE the punctuation mark. Is it just when one is asking a question in the sentence? I asked, “How are you, Jane,” and she replied, ‘How are YOU doing’?” Is that ever correct?
As the post says, “If the question is inside the double quotation marks, place the question mark between the single and double quotation marks.”
Example: Bobbi asked, “Did Delia say, ‘This will never work’?”
Bobbi is the one asking the question, not Delia; therefore, the single quote comes before the question mark, followed by the double quotation marks. This kind of sentence is fairly uncommon.
Your example sentence does not represent a quotation within a quotation as written. It should be punctuated as follows:
I asked, “How are you, Jane?” and she replied, “How are YOU doing?”
How would I quote the first two lines of this Emily Dickinson poem? Would I put single quotation marks around hope and then double quotation marks around the single quotation mark at the beginning of hope and at the end of soul?
Thank you for your time!
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
Yes, Gina, that’s how to do it:
“ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –”
What if I need to quote a quote in a quote?
The books says: The elder brother answered him by saying, “The proverb says: ‘In seeking great happiness small pleasures may be lost’. And also: ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.’ “.
How would I quote this?
For information regarding quotations within quotations within quotations, please see our reply to Nadia of May 7, 2014.
Sally asked, “Did Bobbi scream at her brother, ‘You drive me nuts!’?”
Is this correct? Is this what you would do if you have an exclamatory quote within a question quote?
On the flip side, I am assuming a question quote inside an exclamatory quote would be similar?
I can’t find an example of this anywhere. Thank you.
Your quotation within a quotation is written correctly. The following is an example of a question quote within an exclamatory quote:
He shouted, “Why do you keep asking, ‘Are we there yet?’!”
So if it is a quote within dialogue that is punctuated in with single quotes for direct speech, would you then use double quotes for the words quoted inside that speech? Eg, ‘There is no “somewhere” for the universe to expand into,” he said.
Yes, double quotes are correct within single quotes in regard to British punctuation.
This can get messy quickly. Maybe grammar gods need to revisit. We don’t use italics for inner thoughts if it is preceded by “He thought, The Weather will change.” Now take this illustration.
Sally spoke, “I met my friend at the mall. She said, ‘I thought you would never arrive.’ My mother told me, ‘You have to be home by five.’ ‘ ” And carry it further. I was taught, “The purpose of grammar is clarity.” Besides, an internal quote implies an exact transcription–even in fiction. I learned this reading Peter Robinson’s best selling detective series. He never uses internal quotes (maybe a UK thing). When his speakers recall conversations, he introduces the character. “Detective Banks recalled his conversation with Gervaise. “When I saw her in the hall I asked her directly. She said to me, Get to work.”
We agree that being too prescriptive with punctuation rules for quotations within quotations can become cumbersome and distracting. If a sentence starts to get clogged with such punctuation, a writer might try different approaches to expressing the same information.
e.g.
Sally spoke: I met my friend at the mall. She said she thought I’d never arrive.
“I met my friend at the mall,” Sally said. “She said she thought I’d never arrive.”
Sally met her friend at the mall, where her friend said, “I thought you’d never arrive.”
In dialogue beginning a sentence with quotation marks and single quotation marks, which one is correct?
“‘You are the one,'” they say. or
” ‘You are the one,’ ” they say.
As the post states, “As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.” If you are writing this as a quotation within a quotation, write ” ‘You are the one,’ they say.”
What about quotes within quotes within quotes?
Please see our May 7, 2014, reply to Nadia.
Another grammar site is telling me this is not correct: Jesus asked his disciples who they believe he is, notice their response: ” “Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ” – Matthew 16:16
I have tried changing the quote marks, but I wouldn’t think I should change the quote marks that are already in place by the publisher. Should I drop my own quote marks?
Jesus asked his disciples who they believe he is, notice their response: Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16
Then it doesn’t appear that I am quoting the Bible.
If your sentence is a direct quote from the Bible, we recommend writing the following:
“Simon Peter answered: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ ” – Matthew 16:16
I echo what a few previous commentators have said: your patience in answering iterations of the same question time and again is boundless. I appreciate your grace and hope that I am not duplicating a questions already answered.
My question is a bit more about other punctuation around quotations. I am being asked to transcribe something spoken, so the speaker themself does not need to have quotations around their dialogue, but they cite a quote in the middle of a sentence and I’m not sure about how to use punctuation. This is VERY tentatively what I have:
If this statement is made:
“The non-circumstantial evidence will show that…yada yada yada…off of Dutchess Turnpike.”
All the pieces of critical content,…yada yada…have to be accurate.
I inserted the “yada yadas,” because otherwise it is a very run-on sentence, which is not what I’m concerned with. What I’m wondering is how to incorporate the quote into the sentence. I thought using a colon worked in the beginning, but then I didn’t know how to transition from the end of the quote to the continuance of the sentence. Would the first word outside of the quote be upper- or lower-case? Would dashes work better if I were to put them on either side of the quote?
If I were to simplify, this would be another example:
If this statement is made: “I told you not to do that!” then that’s what you need to type.
I do not know how to punctuate even this much simpler sentence, please help!
Thanks in adavance.
We recommend the following:
If this statement is made: “The non-circumstantial evidence will show that…yada yada yada…off of Dutchess Turnpike,” all the pieces of critical content…yada yada…have to be accurate.
If this statement is made: “The non-circumstantial evidence will show that…yada yada yada…off of Dutchess Turnpike,” all the pieces of critical content…yada yada…have to be accurate.
My question is about quoting lines in a quoted list. Is the following correct?
He said, “I’ll tell him! In God’s Word written in Isaiah 14:12 it says: ‘How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, Son of the Morning! How you are cut down to the ground. You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart,
‘I will ascend into Heaven.
‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
‘I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.
‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
‘I will be like the Most High.’ “
We would write as follows:
He said, “I’ll tell him! In God’s Word written in Isaiah 14:12 it says: ‘How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, Son of the Morning! How you are cut down to the ground. You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into Heaven.
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
I will be like the Most High.’ “
How would this be quoted in an essay?
Sentence from the book :
As Seneca notes, “If God is pleased to add another day, we should welcome it with glad hearts.” And after celebrating having been given another day to live, we can fill that day with appreciative living.
“As Seneca notes, ‘If God is pleased to add another day, we should welcome it with glad hearts.’ And after celebrating having been given another day to live, we can fill that day with appreciative living.”
Is this sentence punctuated correctly?
Sarah whispered, “My brother claimed, ‘I overheard them saying, We need to find a solution.’”
This appears to be a quoation within a quotation. In addition, as the post states, “As a courtesy, make sure there is visible space at the start or end of a quotation between adjacent single and double quotation marks.” Therefore, we recommend writing as follows:
Sarah whispered, “My brother claimed, ‘I overheard them saying, “We need to find a solution.” ‘ “
How do I punctuate a block quote within a dialogue/quotation? Is the below correct—do I put double quotation marks before and after the dialogue but leave the block quote without quotation marks?
Tristan said, “Verses 17 to 19 of Ephesians 3 really got me thinking, Qeziah:
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
I mean that sounds pretty direct, but how exactly do you grasp Christ’s love?”
We would treat this as a quotation within a quotation.
Tristan said, “Verses 17 to 19 of Ephesians 3 really got me thinking, Qeziah:
‘I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.’
I mean that sounds pretty direct, but how exactly do you grasp Christ’s love?”
I wanted to clarify why the sentence below is correct.
“Have you already completed our survey?” the cashier asked.
I understand that there is a question being asked and that we need to use a question mark. But why isn’t there a comma after the quotation marks? If we rearranged the sentence and put “The cashier asked” at the beginning, then a comma would go between the two parts. But why don’t we put a comma in this case?
Our Rule 12d of Commas says, “If a quoted question ends in midsentence, the question mark replaces a comma.”