What Is The Correct Way To Use Quotation Marks?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

and other punctuation marks

In the United States, the rule of thumb is that commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks , and colons and semicolons (dashes as well) go outside: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said. Peter, however, didn't believe him.

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How do you do quotation marks in Spanish?

Spanish sometimes uses angular quotation marks (“«” and “»”) — often known as chevrons or guillemets or “ comillas franceses ” and “comillas angulares” in Spanish — interchangeably with and in the same way as regular double quotation marks.

How do you use quotation marks in Spanish?

When you use quotation marks in English, and need to add a comma after them, you add the comma before the last quotation mark. In Spanish, you add it after the last quotation mark .

How do you punctuate Spanish dialogue?

  1. Punctuation Goes Outside Quotation Marks. Whereas in American English, commas and periods go inside the quotation marks, in Spanish, they always go outside. ...
  2. Long Dashes Precede New Speakers. ...
  3. Long Dashes Introduce the Narrator's Comments.

Does punctuation go inside quotes in Spanish?

The main difference between the English and Spanish uses of quotation marks is that sentence punctuation in Spanish goes outside the quote marks , while in American English the punctuation is on the inside.

How do you write a list in a sentence in Spanish?

Comma for Lists

For items in a list, except before a conjunction (y, e, o, u, ni) that completes the list. (In other words, Spanish never uses the Oxford comma, optional in English, as we already know.) Ana sabe poner bien las comas, los puntos, los punto y coma y los puntos suspensivos.

How do you use quotation marks in a question?

Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself . Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence. Phillip asked, “Do you need this book?”

How do you use single and double quotation marks?

If you use single quote marks, you should use double speech marks for a quote within a quote . If you use double quote signs, you should use single quotation signs for a quote within a quote. Examples: “When I say ‘immediately,' I mean sometime before August,” said the manager.

Do I need a comma before a quote?

As a general rule, you should use a comma to introduce quoted material or dialogue . That's because in most types of dialogue, the quoted material stands apart from the surrounding text. In grammatical terms, it's “syntactically independent.”

What is an upside down question mark called?

, Writer. Answered Aug 3, 2021 · Author has 3.8K answers and 1.5M answer views. In Spanish, the “inverted question mark” (¿) is “ el signo de la interrogación invertido” . The inverted question mark is placed before a sentence or phrase to signal the reader that the sentence or phrase will be a question.

Do Spanish numbers use commas?

Remember that the use of commas and decimal points with numbers is completely different in Spanish and English . E.g. 1.5 in English, would be 1,5 in Spanish. 2,827,259 in English, would be 2.827.

How do question marks work in Spanish?

At the start of every question you write in Spanish, you need to add an upside down question mark ( ¿ ), and you will put a regular question mark at the end (?). For example, if you want to write the question ‘How are you?' in Spanish, you'd write ¿Cómo estás?

What do French quotation marks look like?

Guillemets (« ») are punctuation marks shaped like double arrows . Alternately known as angle quotes or French quotation marks, guillemets are used in various languages around spoken passages of text. Unlike English quotation marks, guillemets are not represented by grouped apostrophes.

Do periods go outside of quotation marks in Spanish?

It is worth noting that periods, commas, colons and semicolons are always written outside of quotation marks in Spanish . That said, there is one thing about Spanish quotation marks that might be quite surprising for English speakers: they don't always look the same. ... ” “: comillas inglesas (English quotation marks).

Can you put a question mark in the middle of a sentence Spanish?

2. Question marks can be placed mid-sentence.

Do you use a comma before Pero?

A comma must be placed before propositions introduced by pero , mas, excepto and salvo.

Which verb is most commonly used in Spanish?

  • Hacer = To do or make.
  • Ir = To go.
  • Venir = To come.
  • Decir = To say or tell.
  • Poder = To be able.
  • Dar = To give.
  • Ver = To see.
  • Poder = To know.

How do you put a quote in a sentence?

  1. If you start by telling who said it, use a comma and then the first quotation mark. ...
  2. If you put the quote first and then tell who said it, use a comma at the end of the sentence, and then the second quotation mark. ...
  3. Punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks if it is a direct quote.

How do you say a full sentence in Spanish?

“Sentence” in Spanish: la frase

The word la frase is the cognate of “phrase,” and despite the fact that a phrase is not a complete sentence, frase is often used to mean “sentence” in Spanish!

What are the examples of quotation marks?

  • “I love cookies,” said Sam. Identifying speech.
  • I think “selfies” are the most popular kind of photo. Highlighting a word.
  • The music magazine said “air guitar is the next big thing in rock.” Sharing a quotation.
  • “The Art of Cookies” is my favorite essay. Showing a title.

What is an example of a direct quotation?

A direct quotation is a report of the exact words of an author or speaker and is placed inside quotation marks in a written work. For example, Dr. King said, “ I have a dream.”

Can I use single quotation marks to emphasize a word?

Quotation marks around single words can occasionally be used for emphasis , but only when quoting a word or term someone else used. ... If a word needs to be emphasized but is not being quoted, you should avoid putting the word in quotes and use italics instead.

What's the difference between single and double quotation marks?

General Usage Rules

Double quotes are used to mark speech, for titles of short works like TV shows and articles, as scare quotes to indicate irony or an author's disagreement with a premise. ... Single quotes are used to enclose a quote within a quote , a quote within a headline, or a title within a quote.

Do you use single or double quotation marks to emphasize a word?

Do not use quotation marks to emphasize a word . Just don't. It's wrong. The strength of your words should make any formatting unnecessary, but if you really want to emphasize something, use boldface or italics.

What are single quotation marks used for?

Quote direct speech in single quote marks. Single quotation marks are also known as ‘quote marks', ‘quotes', ‘speech marks' or ‘inverted commas'. Use them to: show direct speech and the quoted work of other writers .

How do you use dialogue in a quote?

Use quotation marks to show that you are writing the exact words that someone said or wrote. “Finally.” My mother rose to her feet. “Your father is home.” Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.

When would you use an upside down question mark?

The inverted question mark ¿ is written before the first letter of an interrogative sentence or clause to indicate that a question follows . It is a rotated form of the standard symbol “?” recognized by speakers of other languages written with the Latin alphabet.

How do you type Chevron?

Using a shortcut key: Microsoft Word offers a pre-defined shortcut key for some symbols such as chevrons: Type 2329, or 27e8, 27E8 (does not matter, uppercase or lowercase) and immediately press Alt+X to insert the Left-Pointing Angle Bracket symbol : ⟨

What is a sideways Chevron called?

Guillemets (/ˈɡɪləmɛt/, also UK: /ˈɡiːmeɪ/, US: /ˌɡiː(j)əˈmeɪ, ˌɡɪləˈmɛt/, French: [ɡijmɛ]) are a pair of punctuation marks in the form of sideways double chevrons, « and », used as quotation marks in a number of languages.

Why does Spanish use upside down question marks?

The question mark is upside down in Spanish to indicate that a question is coming in written text . Because the word order of a question in Spanish does not change like in English, questions are enclosed between an upside-down question mark at the beginning of the question and a regular question mark at the end.

What does a Hedera punctuation mark look like?

Hedera is “ivy” in Latin, and this symbol was designed to look as pretty as a vine . Latin and Greek texts featured the attractive symbol as a paragraph divider. Though writers tend to use paragraph marks (pilcrows) now, the hedera was one of the first paragraph dividers.

How do you type a double Chevron?

You can get the double guillemet as execution mark or double chevron as quotation mark with Shift + Alt + Q on the Apple Mac. You can get the double guillemet as quotation marks or double chevron as execution mark with Alt + Q on the Apple Mac.

How do you write numbers in Spanish?

  1. 1 – uno.
  2. 2 – dos.
  3. 3 – tres.
  4. 4 – cuatro.
  5. 5 – cinco.
  6. 6 – seis.
  7. 7 – siete.
  8. 8 – ocho.

How do you write decimal numbers in Spanish?

  1. 0.5 (point five)= 0,5 (cero coma cinco)
  2. 12.76 (twelve point seven six)= 12,76 (doce coma setenta y seis)

How do you say 50 in Spanish?

Numeral In Spanish 47 cuarenta y siete 48 cuarenta y ocho 49 cuarenta y nueve 50 cincuenta

How do I make Spanish symbols on my keyboard?

  1. á = Alt + 0225.
  2. Á = Alt + 0193.
  3. é = Alt + 0233.
  4. É = Alt + 0201.
  5. í = Alt + 0237.
  6. Í = Alt + 0205.
  7. ó = Alt + 0243.
  8. Ó = Alt + 0211.

How do you use an exclamation mark and a question mark in Spanish?

Spanish uses inverted question and exclamation marks to begin and end questions and exclamations, respectively. If a sentence has an introductory phrase or word that is not part of the question or exclamation, the opening mark comes at the beginning of the question or exclamation.

How do you make Spanish quotation marks on a Mac?

Typing Spanish Punctuation on a Mac

inverted exclamation point (¡) — Option + 1. left angle quote («) — Option + right angle quote (») — Shift + Option + quotation dash (—) — Shift + Option + –

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.