The Most Common Quotation Marks Mistakes
The use of quotation marks is quite tricky. Putting them whenever you feel like it will give a totally different meaning to the word or phrase. Skipping them won’t be a good idea either. Let’s check the most common mistakes with quotation marks to avoid them while you write an essay.
Wrong punctuation
| Wrong❌ | Right✔️ | |
|---|---|---|
| You can’t place a period within the quotation marks because you haven’t finished the sentence yet. This is why you need to use a comma. | “I’m tired.” Amanda said. “The house is on fire.” He screamed. | “I’m tired,” Amanda said. “The house is on fire,” he screamed. |
| Full stops or periods are placed within quotation marks if the sentence ends with a quote. | Amanda said, “I’m tired”. He screamed, “The house is on fire”. | Amanda said, “I’m tired.” He screamed, “The house is on fire.” |
Wrong Capitalization
| Wrong❌ | Right✔️ | |
|---|---|---|
| If you are using quotation marks to show part of somebody’s words, you do not need to capitalize the first letter. You do, however, still need to punctuate the quote properly to continue the narrative. | Was it normal for Amanda to mutter, “it must be here somewhere?” Should he say things like, “you are really stupid?” | Was it normal for Amanda to mutter, “it must be here somewhere”? Should he say things like, “you are really stupid”? |
Quotation marks with indirect quotes
| Wrong❌ | Right✔️ | |
|---|---|---|
| You do not use quotation marks when you give the basic idea of what someone else said, without presenting the person's exact words. This is known as an indirect quote. Indirect quotes never get quotation marks. | Jane wanted to know “what I was looking for.” I just wanted to know “how she is doing.” | Jane wanted to know what I was looking for. I just wanted to know how she is doing. |
Quotation marks for emphasis
| Wrong❌ | Right✔️ | |
|---|---|---|
| You don’t need to use quotation marks even if you are not quoting anything. Using them to give more focus to a word or phrase is a bad idea. | He thinks that her singing is "perfect." (Readers will think that her singing is actually bad) I am sure of her “responsible” approach to work. | Her singing is just "perfect." (Readers will think that he is saying it with sarcasm) Her approach to work is “responsible.” |