Rescue Those Floating Quotation Marks this “Summer”by Dawn Allcott (used by permission)Memorial Day marked the unofficial start of summer. (The summer solstice begins June 21 this year.) Beach season is upon us. Coconut-scented sunscreen, captivating chick-lit books, Coronas, bikinis, and — for the parents who are reading this — swim diapers and those cute little floaties we use to keep our toddlers save when they swim and splash. Floats are good. Root beer floats. Floating in a life raft (with the aforementioned Corona tucked safely in its little mesh cup holder), floating boats, floating … well, floats. But if there’s one type of floating you want to avoid this summer (eww… what are you thinking?) it’s floating quotation marks. Floating quotation marks are quotation marks we put around a word or phrase even if the words are not something someone said. We may use floating quotation marks to:
“Stop it!” See what I did there? I used random quotation marks to draw attention to my statement. Did you wonder, “What is she doing, tossing quotation marks ‘willy-nilly’ into her work?” I did it again, this time to emphasize that “willy-nilly” is a slang phrase. We don’t need quotation marks for these reasons, however. Slang phrases are easily recognizable, as is sarcasm. (Or it should be). If a word or words represent an exact quote, you have a legitimate reason to use floating quotation marks. But if the expression is not completely unique — and the words around it are all paraphrased — you don’t need the quotation marks. Don’t need quotation marks: He called the movie “excellent!” Since it’s entirely up to the writer to determine whether a phrase is unique and quote-worthy or simply some run-of-the-mill words, you can see where confusion about floating quotation marks arises. If you’re wondering whether or not you need quotation marks, you probably don’t. Readers notice quotation marks — after all, writers use them to call attention to a phrase. You won’t go wrong by leaving them out, because people are less apt to notice their absence. When to use floating quotation marks can be a matter of some debate. But I don’t think any writer will disagree that the floaters used in these signs, spotlighted in The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks, are just wrong, wrong, wrong. Dawn Allcot is the owner of Allcot Media, a full-service writing, ghostwriting and editorial firm capable of handling diverse writing assignments in a variety of fields. With 15 years experience as a writer, ghostwriter and editor, Dawn specializes in niche markets such as parenting, technology, small business marketing, and paintball. |
When to Use Quotation Marks
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a particular problem with punctuation and quotation. I believe the rule is “punctuation inside of quotation marks.” But it just doesn’t look right to me!
Lynn
Variations on this rule exist depending on geography. I grew up in Canada where the style is to put quotation marks around a single word that ends a sentence. The period goes after the quotation mark. e.g., Let’s talk about that “thing”. Canadian and British style. However, in the U.S. where I have lived for 25 years, it would be: Let’s talk about that “thing.”
My advice: Consider your audience. If mostly Americans will read your piece, put the quotation mark outside the punctuation mark.
Thanks for asking!