Premise

Out of all the problems in our world today, how to accurately and consistently punctuate quotes is, admittedly, pretty low on our collective list of priorities. But it’s still on the list—which raises the question: why?

The short answer is because there are various opportunities (or missed opportunities) to make your writing clearer, more consistent, and emphatic. The long answer warrants specific examples and explanations on a case-by-case basis (see below).

But to accomplish these goals, there are actually several variations of this topic in terms of what you mean when you even ask a question like “How do you punctuate quotations?”, so we’ll just go over some of the key ones that will give you some clarity about this “vital” subject.

Examples

Introducing Quotes

This iteration of how to punctuate the introduction of quotes is probably the most confusing for students. Do you use commas? Colons? Something else? Let’s simplify the answer:

• Commas:
  • Dialogue tag
    • The professor said, “punctuating quotes correctly may save your life!”
  • Dependent clause/brief introductory phrase
    • I didn’t like his claim of how, “your life might depend on how you punctuate your quotes.”
    • As the weatherman put it, “The forecast looks cloudy with a chance of non-punctuated quotes.”
• Colons:
  • Complete sentence
    • The Nazi’s were probably the worst perpetrators: “They never punctuated their quotes with anything.”
• No punctuation:
  • Words quoted for emphasis (e.g., irony, sarcasm, etc.)
    • The problem was that they “understood” semicolon usage better than the experts.
  • Short phrases
    • The general demanded that the semicolon abusers be attacked with “shock and awe.”
  • Smooth transitions
    • The doctor pointed out that “Even a full IV of semicolons wouldn’t save him.”

Does it matter if you get these wrong? To be honest, it probably won’t cause nor prevent a nuclear meltdown. But knowing and integrating these choices correctly and consistently will instill a pseudo-subconscious sense of more efficient flow to your communication among audiences via pacing expectations—so why not get it right?

Ending Quotes

Of course, quotes often end with punctuation too, and there are rules as to where the punctuation is placed. A few basic guidelines:

• Typically, put the punctuation within the quote:
  • The monkeys had “the best time of their lives.”
  • I don’t read books, but when she told me that she “hate[s] them more than anything,” I cancelled our second date.
• Only put qualifying punctuation (question marks, semicolons, etc.) within quotes if it’s from the quoted text itself:
  • She declared that they were all, “knaves and ne’er-do-well heathens!”
• By contrast, qualifying punctuation goes outside of quotes if you, the writer, want to qualify what someone else has said:
  • She declared that they were all, “knaves and ne’er-do-well heathens”!

Punctuating Citations

Obviously, if you have quoted text, you also often have citations. Punctuating them correctly and consistently has the ability to make sure that readers are clear on where sentences end. Core concepts:

• Typically, put punctuation after the citation:
  • He pointed out how “the bananas were already too ripe” (Chen 17).
  • The movie was described as “the best that we made” (Zing 89), which was a shocking claim to all.
• Typically, put qualitative punctuation from the quoted material before the citation:
  • His question was indeed profound: “But do robot monkeys dream about electronic bananas?” (Grale 129).
• If you add your own qualitative punctuation to your feelings of the quote, of course, that would come after the citation:
  • I couldn’t believe he asked readers, “Why do you like cookies?” (Bobson 2)!
  • The hero was not really the “bringer of truth!”; he was the bringer of fear.

Quotes Within Quotes

We’ll throw this one in too since it’s so common, and so few people understand the correct convention. Basically, you may find yourself in a situation where you’re quoting a text that already has quotes in it. And getting it right actually does do a pretty good job of making it clear what, for example, an author whom you’re quoting was themself originally quoting.

The premise is perfectly simple: just change their double quotes to single quotes before putting the whole text into your own double quotes. Got it? Okay, here’s how it looks:

• Original text:
  • Monkeys are really mankind’s “best friend.”
• Your quote conversion:
  • He pointed out that “Monkeys are really mankind’s ‘best friend.'”

Further Considerations

• Of course, there are always variations to any rules—and punctuating quotations is the same. You’ll likely see variations via various formats, mediums, and genres. What’s important is to notice what these differences look like when you see them, and why; they probably follow their own personalized conventions, which may be fine if their logic makes sense.
• Samples, samples, samples. Some further articles, like our ones on citation basics, might help you see illustrations of some of these concepts (e.g., punctuating citations) in clearer practice. So please take some time to explore some of these relevant topics on our site!

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