Rules For Using Single Quotation Marks

You are not going to find a plethora of rules for using single quotation marks, since they simply are not used that frequently. Although there are not many rules, there still are rules, and you should know them in order to correctly use this handy punctuation mark.

Using Single Quotation Marks

Quotation Within a Quotation

The most common usage of the single quotation mark is when you are quoting someone within a quotation. You have probably seen this format used in different types of papers, books, interviews, newspaper stories, and so forth.

Here are some examples to make you more familiar with this primary example of the use of single quotation marks:

• I heard Sam say that "Joe went to the store and bumped into Alex. When he saw her, he said 'I hope that we will see you at the party next Friday!'"
• The story said that, "All of the stores have burned down. The shop owner screamed 'I cannot believe this as happening!' as the flames engulfed her shop."
• Jason told Mark, "I saw Cynthia the other day, and she said 'I'm really looking forward to Mark's graduation!'"

Quotation Within a Headline

If your headline was the title of a short story in quotation marks, yet you had a quotation within that quotation, you would use the single quotation marks for that second piece of information. Generally, you will see this format used when the headline is in reference to someone who said something.

• Protesters cried 'No more high taxes!'
• President says 'Don't worry America.'
• Heroic Mom says 'I did it for my kids.'

American vs. British

Sometimes you might see a word set off in a specific discipline, particularly philosophy or theology. In Britain, they generally always set these words off with single quotation marks. However, in America, some use double quotation marks and others use singular quotation marks.

If you are writing in a specific discipline, check with the guidelines of the institution or publication for which you are writing. Some common uses by the British include:

• 'anima'
• 'animus'
• 'zeit'
• 'libertas'

Enjoy using the single quotation mark. It can come in very handy.