COMMON ERRORS

TEAM - THE ELITE

QUOTATION MARKS

• Quotation marks are used to enclose words quoted from another source, direct discourse,
or words requiring differentiation from the surrounding text. Since they enclose, they
always come in pairs. They can also be overused and render a text visually hard to read.
• Double quotation marks (" ") are used most of the time. Single quotation marks (' ') are
used only within double quotation marks. E.g.
• The Professor said, “Read the article entitled ‘How to Grow Hydroponic Tomatoes.”
USE WITH OTHER MARKS
QUOTATION MARKS MAY BE USED WITH ALL OTHER MARKS OF PUNCTUATION.

• Closing quotation marks always follow commas and periods, regardless of the context.
• Closing quotation marks always precede semicolons and colons (because they are always
dropped at the end of quoted material).
• Closing quotation marks always follow points of ellipsis indicating omitted matter in the
quote; ending a quote with ellipsis is rarely necessary.
• Other marks of punctuation (parentheses, question mark) are placed outside quotation
marks if they are not a part of the quoted matter.
QUESTION MARKS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS

• When a quote itself is a question or an exclamation, the question mark or the exclamation
point  is part of the quote and belongs before the end quotation mark:
• She asked, “Will it rain today?”
• The student shouted, “I passed the final test.  I’m graduating!”
QUESTION MARKS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS

• When there is a quote in a sentence where the sentence itself is a question or an

exclamation, the question mark or the exclamation point belongs at the end of the
sentence, not the end of the quote.
• Is there a specific reason for the “feelings of unhappiness” you describe?
• She twirled with “unbridled joy” around the room!
• This is true even if the quoted words are at the end of the sentence: • Is there a reason for
these “feelings of unhappiness“? • She twirled with “unbridled joy“!
USE OF ELLIPSIS (…)

• When words are omitted from within a quote, use an ellipsis (…). 
• Jim Carrey said, “I got a lot of support from my parents when I was pursuing my career
in comedy.  They didn’t tell me I was being stupid; they told me I was being funny.”
•  Jim Carrey said, “I got a lot of support from my parents .… They didn’t tell me I was
being stupid; they told me I was being funny.” -- See how the ellipsis is inserted where
the words when I was pursuing my career in comedy were omitted.