Using a series of colorcoded highlighters, the app will tell you if your. Indent the entire quotation five spaces from the left and right margins. Along with justice cardozo, chief justice marshall, and perhaps a few others, they are considered the legends of american legal history. For quotations which extend beyond one paragraph, a quotation mark begins each paragraph and the closing quotation mark is at the end of the last paragraph. In legal writing it also refers to a separate article, stipulation, or proviso. Use quotation marks the first time the word or phrase is used. If the quotation is long, dont use quotation marks. A direct quotation is an exact account of what someone said or wrote.
Robert frosts stopping by woods on a snowy evening is one of my earliest memories of exposure to poetry. In american usage, periods and commas must go inside quotation marks even if what youre quoting isnt a complete sentence. Learn why commas, hyphens or other punctuation marks matter. Quotation marks quotation examples and rules ginger. Use quotation marks around titles of short works of writing, such as essays, songs, poems, short stories, and chapters in books. The correct use of quotation marks can be confusing for authors, especially those whose primary language is not english esl authors. The problem is, somewhere along the line, quotation marks and. Semicolons and colons belong outside the quotation mark. This section provides tips for using quotation marks for many purposes. Quotation marks are used to show that the text is taken word for word from another source, to call attention to an important word or phrase, or when using.
Here is a brief guide to using quotation marks correctly. Scare quotes loosely refers to using quotation marks around words or phrases that you think. You may use quotation marks to quote a source or for dialogue. Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a direct quotation. Punctuating quotations with exclamation points and. Many people use quotation marks to convey emphasis. Colons, semicolons and dashes remain outside quotation marks. And although you arent likely to use quotation marks with semicolons, in case you. Quotation incorporation chicagokent college of law. Quotation marks are often confusing to esl writers unfamiliar with english grammar and punctuation rules.
Do not use quotation marks around setoff quotations of more than four lines of prose or three lines of. When using quotation marks in the united states, place periods, question marks. Though not often used in business writing or correspondence, quotation marks are often indispensable for works of fiction as well as many types of academic writing. Quotation marks and apostrophes purdue writing lab. When to use double or single quotation marks is even trickier. Exclamation points and question marks can be inside or outside the quotation mark. The typical comma seems to either be overused or underused in most documents including different types of legal writing. In english, the rules for using quotation marks with exclamation points follow the same general rules as question marks. Double quotation marks are used for direct quotes as in. Since your focus should be on boosting the quality of your legal documents through the proper use of punctuation.
However, for a short note or text message, use quotation marks, not italics. To include a direct quotation in your writing, enclose the words in quotation marks. Okay, i admit it gets to me more than it should, but abuse of quotation marks really gets my goat. Your legalwriting voice and the quotations that drown it out. Check for use of the oxford serial comma and consistent. Exclamation marks are stronger than question marks. Im currently in the process of writing a written pieceassignment for university as a contrast and compare piece and was curious as to if using single quotation marks around a business name for. These marks are available in most word processors, though many people simply use single and double quotation marks. Double quotation marks are used in different titles like books, movies, songs, articles, etc.
They are used to set off exact language, spoken or written, that has come from someone else. Not only do you have to follow different rules depending on what other punctuation marks you mix with your quotation marks, but people in different countries also follow different rules, so you may see quotation marks. She sent a text message, saying, i just sent my manuscript to you. If you carefully craft your writing voiceusing tools like sentence structure and vivid. Revisiting use of quotation marks when creating defined. Quote marks should only be used if you are quoting someone else, or in a. If your software keeps putting footnotes on the wrong page, its probably word. The rules for using other punctuation with quotation marks are fairly straightforward. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5. Commas and periods are always inside the quotation mark. Remember, though, that quotations are most effective when theyre short and used sparingly. When you are incorporating a short quotation into a paper or essay, use quotation marks. If the quotation is embedded inside one of your own sentences, use commas, as shown in the following.
By paraphrasing and summarizing instead of quoting, you can often craft a less stilted and more succinct legal argument or factual narrative that is easier to readand therefore more compelling. You didnt just up and decide to call the airport laxthat is one of its official names. Id like to point out one of the most common misuses of this piece of punctuation. Periods and commas go inside quotation marks, including single quotation marks. The last in the list is where the correct use of the comma can often go astray, and many. Last month, daniel covered some of the basic rules for using quotation marks. To introduce a word or phrase used as an ironic comment, as slang, or as an invented or coined expression. Should be singlespaced, indented on both sides, justified, and without quotation marks. A direct quotation tells the reader when words are taken directly from another text or source. For quotations of 50 words or more the following formatting instructions should be followed.
I can verify that for the airport codes in particular, quotation marks are never used in the way you indicate. Quotation marks are used for components, such as chapter titles in a book, individual episodes of a tv series, songs from a broadway show or a music album, titles of articles or essays in print or. It is not surprising that the authors of these famous words are justices harlan, holmes, and brandeis. There are many instances of how to use quotation marks in our writing, so lets take a look at a few. Punctuation is one component of writing that people seldom think about or. Use quotation marks when you want to use the exact words of someone else in your writing. The quoted text is capitalized if youre quoting a complete sentence and not capitalized if youre quoting a fragment. The use of quotation marks when nicknames are inserted into the name is common and useful, as it makes it clear that a nickname rather than a middle name is being given. Since your focus should be on boosting the quality of your legal documents through the proper use of punctuation, it is imperative to learn the art of placing commas within your sentences.
This prevents automated programs from posting comments. Quotation marks are used to frame words that represent spoken language. Using bold and quotation marks makes sense for autonomous definitions, so im going to stick with them for purposes of integrated definitions, conventions in general writing be damned. Improve your legal writing skills with this punctuation guide the attic. You can also use quotation marks for titles to indicate it is part of a larger work. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. In persuasive writing, it never hurts to quote a legend. In the following sentences put in quotation marks wherever they are needed, and underline words where italics are needed. In this case, the speaker is recalling what he or she usually tells his or her coworkers, and he or she is doing so using indirect speech. Appellate advocacy blog law professor blogs network typepad. The citys mayor explained that the recent tornado leveled entire neighborhoods but miraculously took.
How to use quotation marks outside of direct quotes. Quotation marks designate titles of poems, articles or shorter works. If you need to quote something with an error, use sic. Using quotation marks correctly in a paper, essay, or written work will ensure your writing is clear and easy to follow. Use quotation marks to show the reader the exact phrase being borrowed wordforword from a source. Quotation marks should be used to directly quote the words of someone else, with titles of short works, and when indicating certain words as words. Usually, titles of longer works, such as books, magazines, albums, newspapers. Enforce the legal writing and style rules you know, from the sources you trust.
Correct usage of quotation marks in academic writing. We use quotation marks with direct quotes, with titles of certain works, to imply alternate meanings, and to write words as words. Quotation marks typically come in pairsopen quotation marks and close quotation marks. Quotation marks should only be used to set off direct speech from the rest of a sentence. And common usage allows you to continue writing about small business owners. Block quotations are not set off with quotation marks. With these two exceptions, works that do not stand on their own, but belong to a larger composition, such. When were not talking about direct quotes, things change up a bit. How to use either, neither, or, and nor correctly is the most popular post on the write practice. She said, bill said, i dont think we should see each other anymore. Most titles should be italicized, including book titles. The only exception, according to the chicago manual of style, involves the use of single quotation marks in two situations.
You are the last person on earth id ask, she told him. Quotation marks are often used to indicate something said or written by another person, particularly if it is included inside your own original writing. If the quotation is embedded inside one of your own sentences, use commas. Short and complete pieces such as poems and short stories use quotation marks.
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