If you want to write English you must have to learn the perfect use of the quotation marks. The sign goes thus—”———”. These marks are always used to enclose a saying of someone or something that is borrowed from somewhere else.
Generally quotation marks can be used when we quote someone word by word. We use the marks so that the words uttered by the man are kept intact. There is no change in the saying. There is no way to extort the saying of the speaker.
We can use the direct quotation marks when a sentence is already going on. Or the marks may be used from the very beginning when the speaker is saying something.
- While discussing on the Romantic poets our teacher suddenly expressed,” Above all the Romantic period is the best period in the history of English Literature, I think.”
- Our English teacher all on a sudden declared,” Romantic period is the best period in the history of English literature, I think.”
We can use the quotation marks from the very beginning of a sentence. Mary said,” I am waiting for the forthcoming examination. “Milo replied,” I am too anxious to think of its knocking at the door.”
Now there is another specific place where the quotation marks are used in a rampant way. Actually when we use a specific word or a group of words we use the quotation marks around the word or words. The reader has to make it out clearly that the word or word groups are uttered by some other person, not by the writer.
- Our teacher often declares in the class ‘with full throated ease’ that ‘Truth is beauty’.
We must take into account some other vital rules while using the quote marks. We must not forget to use the first letter of the sentence within the quotation marks must be the capital one. If in the later part of the sentence the quotation mark is used we need not write the first letter in the capital form. Similarly when the quotation is interrupted in between the sentence, we must avoid the use of the quotation marks.
Again we must keep in mind that while using the name of a book, an essay, a song, or anything we must use the single quotation mark. These quotation marks, in general, are used to specify the title from other names or titles.
- Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ is a brilliant tragedy.
- Keats’ ‘ Ode on a Grecian Urn’ is a bright specimen of ‘ode‘.
If we have to usage irony or humor in a sentence we must not hesitate to use the quotation marks around the words that are referred. It may be mentioned that you may not agree with the statement of some one’s word. You have the sole right to mention it in your words within the quotation marks.
We have to keep in mind that the use of comma before the quotation mark is essential.
- Roy says,” I am very tired today.”
The last thing that we should not forget while using the quotation marks is that we shall never use the single quote while highlighting a direct speech.