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'Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary', published in 1983, contains a very useful 'Handbook of Style' with a large section covering 'Punctuation'. There are two separate and very detailed sub-sections for quotation marks: 'Quotation Marks, Double' and 'Quotation Marks, Single'. There is so much in it - all of it very concise and interesting - that it cannot all be summarized here!

But, with its examples shown enclosed within parentheses, this clip may be useful to be aware of:

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[Single quotation marks]
1. enclose a quotation within a quotation in American usage.
(The witness said, "I distinctly heard him say, 'Don't be late.' and then heard the door close.")

2. are sometimes used in place of double quotation marks in British usage.
(The witness said, 'I distinctly heard him say, "Don't be late." and then heard the door close.')

NOTE: When both single and double quotation marks occur at the end of a sentence, the period typically falls within both sets of marks.
(The witness said, "I distinctly heard him say, 'Don't be late.' ")
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In England some schools teach pupils to use single quotes to signal to other readers that some text is not just ordinary plain words but is the name of a specific identifiable entity such as 'My watchlist', the 'Save button', etc.

Also that double quotes can be useful to stress that something is ironic or contentious. For example in this sentence:

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15y ago

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Related Questions

Do you type a quotation mark before a period and a comma?

No, the quotation marks go after the comma or period.


When using a period and a comma do you type the closing quotation mark brfore or after the punctuation mark?

With NO exceptions, the comma and period should go BEFORE the closing quotation mark. Always.


Does a comma come after or before a quotation mark?

In American English punctuation rules, a comma typically comes before the closing quotation mark when the comma is part of the overall sentence. In British English, the comma comes after the closing quotation mark.


Can you close a quotation with a comma?

No, a quotation should be closed with a punctuation mark such as a period, question mark, or exclamation point, depending on the context of the sentence. A comma should not be used to close a quotation.


Does a comma still go inside the end quotation mark if the quotations are indicating a book title?

Book titles require either italics or underlining. Short stories, however, require quotation marks. In this case, you would just put quotation marks around the short story title, and no comma is necessary afterword. Example: I love the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.


When separating a direct quotation from a signal phrase should a writer use a comma?

When separating a direct quotation from a signal phrase, a writer should not use a comma


How is a typographer's quotation mark different from a typewriter quotation mark according to Indesign Cs3?

A typewriter's quotation marks looks like feet/inches marks, much as displayed on this site (' or ") where typographer's quotation marks have the proper shape, similar looking to a comma but raised at quote mark height.


Where does the comma go if you have something in quotes within a sentence?

Why indeed? In British English punctation it goes outside ...


How do you end a quote?

You can end a quote with a quotation mark. If the quote continues in the same paragraph, a comma is typically placed before the closing quotation mark. If the quote is a complete sentence, the ending punctuation (like a period or question mark) comes before the closing quotation mark.


Is QuotatioN MarK just like that CommA as if she were a fancy chandelier QuotatioN MarK a simile?

Yes. "As if" can also be used instead of "as" or "like"


Does the comma go before or after the quotation marks if it's in the middle of the sentence and if it's the title of an article?

If they are part of the title, they will go within the quotation marks.


Does the comma come before or after quotation in return to sender?

Return to sender does not require quotation marks or a comma.