How do I avoid using punctuation inside quotation marks in technical writing?
Asked by: Claudia Johnson
Grammatical rules say yes, but sometimes the rules must be broken when technical writing. The correct rule for punctuation within quotation marks, says: Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.
Do you keep punctuation inside quotation marks?
Do commas and periods go inside or outside quotation marks? Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks in American English; dashes, colons, and semicolons almost always go outside the quotation marks; question marks and exclamation marks sometimes go inside, sometimes stay outside.
What punctuation do you use to cut unnecessary parts from a quotation?
Ellipsis points are used to represent an omission from a direct quotation when it is cited by another writer. This series of three dots—with a space before, after, and between them ( . . . )—is inserted where a word, phrase, sentence (or more) is left out.
What should be enclosed in quotation marks?
Quotation marks are used to enclose and set off text that is directly quoted, titles, technical terms, and words or phrases that carry a subtext. a short direct quote (a quote of no more than 40 words). poems. a word or short phrase that is meant to express irony or sarcasm.
What punctuation do you use to offset a quotation within a quotation?
Rule: Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation.
What are the 3 rules for using quotations?
Quotation Marks
- Rule 1. Use double quotation marks to set off a direct (word-for-word) quotation. …
- Rule 2a. Always capitalize the first word in a complete quotation, even midsentence. …
- Rule 2b. Do not capitalize quoted material that continues a sentence. …
- Rule 3a. …
- Rule 3b. …
- Rule 3c. …
- Rule 4. …
- Rule 5a.
When you have a question outside quoted material and inside quoted material?
Rule – When you have a question outside quoted material AND inside quoted material, use only one question mark and place it inside the quotation mark. Example: Did she say, “May I go?”
How do you omit something from a quote?
Adding or omitting words in quotations
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipses, which are three periods ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space.
How do you skip a quote in APA?
Shortening a quote
If you want to omit some words, phrases, or sentences from the quote to save space, use an ellipsis (. . .) with a space before and after it to indicate that some material has been left out. If the part you removed includes a sentence break, add a period before the ellipsis to indicate this.
How do you omit the beginning of a quote?
An ellipsis is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .) inserted into a quotation to indicate the omission of material from the original quotation.
How do you block quote?
Basics
- Block quotations start on their own line.
- The entire block quotation is indented 0.5 inches, the same as the indentation for a new paragraph, and is double spaced.
- Block quotations are not surrounded by any quotation marks.
- The punctuation at the end of the block quotation goes before the citation.
Can you change the tense of quotes?
Use brackets to show any changes made to quotations in order to retain grammatical correctness. Use brackets in quotes to add a word, prefix, or suffix in order to fit the quote into your sentence. Use brackets to change the tense of a verb in a quote so that it will fit into your sentence.
How do you change the tense of a quote example?
When a verb in a quotation does not fit syntactically into your sentence, you may use brackets to change the tense: If Charles Dickens were alive today, he would likely say, “It [is] the best of times, it [is] the worst of times” (5).
How do you change a past tense to a quote?
Use parentheses to enclose a change in letter case or verb tense when integrating a quote into your paper. Use brackets to enclose a change in letter case or verb tense when integrating a quote into your paper. Use bracketed material in a way that twists the author’s meaning.
How do you change a pronoun in a quote?
Words can be added or changed to a quote by using brackets.
Brackets for Pronoun Consistency
- Nathan said, “I want people to understand me.”
- Nathan said that he wants people “to understand [him].”
- In this example, the pronoun is changed so it is consistent with the rest of the sentence.
How do you quote a quote within a quote?
Use single quotation marks to enclose quotes within another quotation. The reporter told me, “When I interviewed the quarterback, he said they simply ‘played a better game. ‘”
What is unnecessary ellipsis?
Do you have a quotation that is too long and mostly meaningless? You can use an ellipsis—three consecutive periods, with one space around each ( . . . )—to leave out extra or unnecessary words. The ellipsis represents information that you are omitting from a quotation.
What is the difference between ellipsis and ellipses?
Ellipsis (singular) usually means three dots (periods or full stops) to represent the above omission. In other words, ellipsis means one specific punctuation mark composed of three dots. I deleted that ellipsis and replaced it with an em dash. Ellipses (plural, with an e instead of an i) is the plural of ellipsis.
How do you use ellipses correctly?
Ellipses
- Use an ellipsis to omit information at the beginning and end of quotes. With quoted material, use an ellipsis to indicate an omission at the beginning, within, or at the end of a sentence. …
- Use an ellipsis to omit whole sentences in quotations. …
- Use an ellipsis in dialogue.
When should ellipses be used?
Use an ellipsis when omitting a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage. Ellipses save space or remove material that is less relevant. They are useful in getting right to the point without delay or distraction: Full quotation: “Today, after hours of careful thought, we vetoed the bill.”
What are the 3 types of ellipsis?
According to McCarthy (1991:43) there are three types of ellipsis, they consist of: (1) nominal ellipsis, (2) verbal ellipsis, (3) clausal ellipsis.
What are the 3 dots called?
ellipsis
You see those dots? All three together constitute an ellipsis. The plural form of the word is ellipses, as in “a writer who uses a lot of ellipses.” They also go by the following names: ellipsis points, points of ellipsis, suspension points. We’re opting for ellipsis points here, just to make things crystal clear.