{"id":77,"date":"2019-05-31T23:14:18","date_gmt":"2019-06-01T03:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/chapter\/grammar-lesson-4-proper-use-of-quotation-marks\/"},"modified":"2025-04-14T08:08:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T12:08:01","slug":"grammar-lesson-4-proper-use-of-quotation-marks","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/chapter\/grammar-lesson-4-proper-use-of-quotation-marks\/","title":{"raw":"Grammar Lesson - Quotation Marks","rendered":"Grammar Lesson &#8211; Quotation Marks"},"content":{"raw":"Quotation marks serve a few different purposes in English grammar. Here are the three main rules:\n\n<strong>Rule One: To indicate speech<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Quotation marks indicate that someone is speaking.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Example: \u201cDon't walk in the street,\" Julie said to her children.<\/p>\n<strong>Rule Two: To quote or cite <\/strong>\u2013 Quotation marks also indicate that some writing or information has been taken directly (word for word) from another source.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Example: The safety code at our workplace says that \"the shelter in place drill is the most important safety drill we perform\" and that it is important that every employee know how the drill works (the words \"the shelter in place drill is the most important safety drill we perform\" were taken word for word from the safety code).<\/p>\n<strong>Rule Three: To indicate sarcasm or that something is approximate\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Placing a word in quotation marks indicates that the writer does not intend the word literally. They may even mean the opposite of the word.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">I \"love\" to go to the dentist. = I don't really like going to the dentist.\nWe had a safety \"drill.\" = It wasn't really a drill. It was more like a real emergency.\nHe was \"polite.\" = He was polite, but he was also a jerk.<\/p>\n<strong>Why is this important? <\/strong>\n\nA lot of people mistakenly think that quotation marks can be used to emphasize words.\u00a0 They use quotation marks when they should use\u00a0<strong>bold<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0underlining.\u00a0 This is particularly bad when used in advertising.\u00a0 Think about the rule above, and think about what these sentences really mean:\n<ul>\n \t<li>We have farm \"fresh\" eggs.<\/li>\n \t<li>Our repair men are the most \"reliable\".<\/li>\n \t<li>Get a \"bargain\" at our shop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nNote the problems with the quotation marks in these signs:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_76\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"255\"]<img class=\"wp-image-74 size-medium\" title=\"lifebuzz.com\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a sign that reads &quot;Good help wanted.&quot; The word good is incorrectly in quotation marks.\" width=\"255\" height=\"300\"> Fig.1[\/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_76\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-75 size-medium\" title=\"lifebuzz.com\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a sign that reads &quot;If you are pregnant please inform the technician.&quot; The word pregnant is incorrectly placed in quotation marks. lease do not use staples for posting.&quot; Do not is incorrectly in quotation marks. Below that, another sign reads: &quot;Please do not use quotation marks for emphasis.&quot; Do not is correctly italicized.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\"> Fig.2[\/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn this instance, someone recognized and then remedied the quotation marks problem:\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_76\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-76 size-medium\" title=\"Lifebuzz.com\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a sign that reads &quot;Please do not use staples for posting.&quot; Do not is incorrectly in quotation marks. Below that, another sign reads: &quot;Please do not use quotation marks for emphasis.&quot; Do not is correctly italicized.\" width=\"300\" height=\"138\"> Fig.3[\/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>References<\/strong>\n<pre style=\"padding-left: 40px\">Figs.1-3. \"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifebuzz.com\/quotations\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">40 'Signs' with Inappropriate use of Quotation Marks<\/span><\/a>.\" <em>Lifebuzz.com<\/em>\n<\/pre>","rendered":"<p>Quotation marks serve a few different purposes in English grammar. Here are the three main rules:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rule One: To indicate speech<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Quotation marks indicate that someone is speaking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Example: \u201cDon&#8217;t walk in the street,&#8221; Julie said to her children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rule Two: To quote or cite <\/strong>\u2013 Quotation marks also indicate that some writing or information has been taken directly (word for word) from another source.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Example: The safety code at our workplace says that &#8220;the shelter in place drill is the most important safety drill we perform&#8221; and that it is important that every employee know how the drill works (the words &#8220;the shelter in place drill is the most important safety drill we perform&#8221; were taken word for word from the safety code).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rule Three: To indicate sarcasm or that something is approximate\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Placing a word in quotation marks indicates that the writer does not intend the word literally. They may even mean the opposite of the word.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">I &#8220;love&#8221; to go to the dentist. = I don&#8217;t really like going to the dentist.<br \/>\nWe had a safety &#8220;drill.&#8221; = It wasn&#8217;t really a drill. It was more like a real emergency.<br \/>\nHe was &#8220;polite.&#8221; = He was polite, but he was also a jerk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why is this important? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A lot of people mistakenly think that quotation marks can be used to emphasize words.\u00a0 They use quotation marks when they should use\u00a0<strong>bold<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0underlining.\u00a0 This is particularly bad when used in advertising.\u00a0 Think about the rule above, and think about what these sentences really mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We have farm &#8220;fresh&#8221; eggs.<\/li>\n<li>Our repair men are the most &#8220;reliable&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>Get a &#8220;bargain&#8221; at our shop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note the problems with the quotation marks in these signs:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_76\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76\" style=\"width: 255px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74 size-medium\" title=\"lifebuzz.com\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a sign that reads &quot;Good help wanted.&quot; The word good is incorrectly in quotation marks.\" width=\"255\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1.jpg 537w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1-255x300.jpg 255w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1-65x76.jpg 65w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1-225x265.jpg 225w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/05\/goodhelp-1-350x412.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fig.1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_76\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-75 size-medium\" title=\"lifebuzz.com\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a sign that reads &quot;If you are pregnant please inform the technician.&quot; The word pregnant is incorrectly placed in quotation marks. lease do not use staples for posting.&quot; Do not is incorrectly in quotation marks. Below that, another sign reads: &quot;Please do not use quotation marks for emphasis.&quot; Do not is correctly italicized.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1-65x49.jpg 65w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1-225x169.jpg 225w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Pregnant-1-350x263.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fig.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In this instance, someone recognized and then remedied the quotation marks problem:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_76\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76 size-medium\" title=\"Lifebuzz.com\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a sign that reads &quot;Please do not use staples for posting.&quot; Do not is incorrectly in quotation marks. Below that, another sign reads: &quot;Please do not use quotation marks for emphasis.&quot; Do not is correctly italicized.\" width=\"300\" height=\"138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1.jpg 470w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1-65x30.jpg 65w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1-225x103.jpg 225w, https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2025\/04\/Quotations-1-350x161.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fig.3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre style=\"padding-left: 40px\">Figs.1-3. \"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifebuzz.com\/quotations\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">40 'Signs' with Inappropriate use of Quotation Marks<\/span><\/a>.\" <em>Lifebuzz.com<\/em>\n<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[49],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-77","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":73,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77\/revisions\/78"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/73"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/techwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}