7 Examples of Incorrect Punctuation with Quotation Marks

7 Examples of Incorrect Punctuation with Quotation Marks 7 Examples of Incorrect Punctuation with Quotation Marks 7 Examples of Incorrect Punctuation with Quotation Marks By Mark Nichol This post points out common errors committed when reporting what has been said or written. Each example is followed by a discussion of the problem and a revision that provides a solution. 1. She pointed out that, â€Å"Speed matters - the faster an organization learns, the faster it evolves.† The quotation, in isolation, is a complete sentence and is properly capitalized. But when dropped into a sentence, as in the example above, it becomes part of the sentence, just as if it were a paraphrase (â€Å"She pointed out that speed matters - the faster an organization learns, the faster it evolves.†) Therefore, a full-sentence quotation integrated into a full sentence like this is demoted and no longer merits capitalization- nor should it be preceded by a comma, because â€Å"she pointed out that† is not an attribution (see the example below pertaining to attribution), because it includes the transitional term that, which is essentially redundant to a comma: â€Å"She pointed out that ‘speed matters - the faster an organization learns, the faster it evolves.’† 2. â€Å"On the outside, he’s a warrior, but on the inside, he’s controlled and focused,† is how one of John Smith’s teammates described him to us. Similarly, when a quotation is integrated into a sentence at the head of a sentence, omit a comma at the end of the quotation unless it is necessary for the sentence’s grammatical structure: â€Å"On the outside, he’s a warrior, but on the inside, he’s controlled and focused† is how one of John Smith’s teammates described him to us. (In the sentence â€Å"She assured us that ‘he is normally very well behaved,’ as if that had anything to do with it,† the comma correctly separates the main clause from the subordinate clause.) 3. Jones screamed â€Å"help me† and â€Å"you’re assaulting me† as the detective forced her into an unmarked car. Quotations that follow an attribution- a phrase that identifies the speaker or writer and explicitly describes the character of the communication with a verb (such as said) and perhaps an adverb (such as â€Å"said sarcastically† or â€Å"said quietly†) or an adverbial phrase (such as â€Å"said as if to a child† or â€Å"said the other day†), are followed by a comma. In addition, when the quotation is a complete sentence, it should be capitalized: â€Å"Jones screamed, ‘Help me!’ as the detective forced her into an unmarked car.† (And, as further edited, an exclamation point should be included when a quotation is described as being delivered with volume or passion, just as a question mark is necessary when asking a question.) If the attribution pertains to more than one quotation, the quotations are treated as a compound phrase (using the generic structure â€Å"[this] and [that]†) and thus an additional comma, after and, is not required: â€Å"Smith screamed, ‘Help me!’ and ‘You’re assaulting me!’ as the detective forced her into an unmarked car.† (Here, unlike in the previous example, punctuation following the quotation is valid because like question marks, exclamation points, which are otherwise interchangeable with commas, provide contextual information that commas do not.) (This post about attribution and quotations is one of many at DailyWritingTips.com that discuss the topics; search the site using the keywords â€Å"attribution† and â€Å"quotations† for more information.) 4. His next comment chilled me, â€Å"We will be watching everything you do.† When what appears to be an attribution is self-contained- structured as a complete thought- the quotation should be set off from the phrase by a colon rather than a comma: â€Å"His next comment chilled me: ‘We will be watching everything you do.’† 5. I heard someone utter the words, â€Å"I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.† When a quotation is preceded by a phrase that provides context but is not a formal attribution, no punctuation should precede it: â€Å"I heard someone utter the words ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.’† (This error implies that those words are the only words; see the next example for more details.) 6. In this issue, we explore the question, â€Å"Are companies curious enough to really understand all aspects of their corporate culture?† The inclusion of a comma here incorrectly implies that a reference has been made in a previous sentence to a specific question, which is explicitly reproduced in this sentence; the resulting implication is that only one question exists, and this is it. But here, â€Å"the question† and the quotation that constitutes the question are appositives- two ways to describe an idea (here, a generic description of a thing- a question- and a specific reproduction of the thing)- and should not be interrupted by punctuation: â€Å"In this issue, we explore the question ‘Are companies curious enough to really understand all aspects of their corporate culture?’ 7. How many times do you want to reheat your leftovers? At some point, you have to say I’m not going to reheat this. You’ve microwaved it six times, and it’s no longer food.† In this passage, â€Å"I’m not going to reheat this† is a conjectural statement the writer is proposing that reader might say at some point. Even though the reader may not actually speak it or write it, the writer should style it as a quotation- and treat you have to say as an attribution: â€Å"How many times do you want to reheat your leftovers? At some point, you have to say, ‘I’m not going to reheat this.’ You’ve microwaved it six times, and it’s no longer food.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:What to Do When Words Appear Twice in a RowHow Many Sentences in a Paragraph?

Niccolò Machiavelli - His Life, Philosophy and Influence

Niccolà ² Machiavelli - His Life, Philosophy and Influence Niccolà ² Machiavelli was one of the most influential political theorists of Western philosophy. His most read treatise, The Prince, turned Aristotle’s theory of virtues upside down, shaking the European conception of government at its foundations. Machiavelli lived in or nearby Florence Tuscany his whole life, during the peak of the Renaissance movement, in which he took part. He is also the author of a number of additional political treatises, including The Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius, as well as of literary texts, including two comedies and several poems. Life Machiavelli was born and raised in Florence, Italy, where his father was an attorney. Historians believe his education was of exceptional quality, especially in grammar, rhetoric, and Latin. He seems not to have been instructed in Greek, though, despite Florence having been a major center for the study of the Hellenic language since the middle of the fourteen hundreds. In 1498, at age twenty-nine Machiavelli was called to cover two relevant governmental roles in a moment of social turmoil for the newly constituted Republic of Florence: he was named chair of the second chancery and – a short time after – secretary of the Dieci di Libert e di Pace, a ten-person council responsible for maintaining diplomatic relationships with other States. Between 1499 and 1512 Machiavelli witnessed first-hand the unfolding of Italian political events. In 1513, the Medici family returned to Florence. Machiavelli was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to overthrow this powerful family. He was first imprisoned and tortured then sent into exile. After his release, he retired to his country house in San Casciano Val di Pesa, about ten miles southwest of Florence. It is here, between 1513 and 1527, that he wrote his masterpieces. The Prince De Principatibus (literally: On Princedoms) was the first work composed by Machiavelli in San Casciano mostly during 1513; it was published only posthumously in 1532. The Prince is a short treatise of twenty-six chapters in which Machiavelli instructs a young pupil of the Medici family on how to acquire and maintain political power. Famously centered on the right balancing of fortune and virtue in the prince, it is by far the most read work by Machiavelli and one of the most prominent texts of Western political thought. The Discourses Despite the popularity of The Prince, Machiavelli’s major political work is probably The Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius. Its first pages were written in 1513, but the text was completed only between 1518 and 1521. If The Prince instructed how to govern a princedom, The Discourses were meant to educate future generations to achieve and maintain political stability in a republic. As the title suggests, the text is structured as a free commentary on the first ten volumes of Ab Urbe Condita Libri, the major work of Roman historian Titus Livius (59B.C.-17A.D.) The Discourses are divided into three volumes: the first devoted to internal politics; the second to foreign politics; the third one to a comparison of the most exemplary deeds of individual men in ancient Rome and Renaissance Italy. If the first volume reveals Machiavelli’s sympathy for the republican form of government, it is especially in the third that we find a lucid and pungent critical gaze at the political situation of Renaissance Italy. Other Political and Historical Works While carrying forward his governmental roles, Machiavelli had the opportunity to write about the events and issues he was witnessing first-hand. Some of them are critical to understanding the unfolding of his thought. They range from the examination of the political situation in Pisa (1499) and in Germany (1508-1512) to the method used by the Valentino in killing his enemies (1502). While in San Casciano, Machiavelli wrote also a number of treatises on politics and history, including a treatise on war (1519-1520), a recount of the life of the condottiero Castruccio Castracani (1281-1328), a history of Florence (1520-1525). Literary Works Machiavelli was a fine writer. He left us two fresh and entertaining comedies, The Mandragola (1518) and The Clizia (1525), both of which are still represented in these days. To these we shall add a novel, Belfagor Arcidiavolo (1515); a poem in verses inspired to Lucius Apuleius’s (about 125-180 A.D.) major work, L’asino d’oro (1517); several more poems, some of which amusing, the translation of a classical comedy by Publius Terentius Afer (circa 195-159B.C.); and several other smaller works. Machiavellianism By the end of the sixteenth century, The Prince had been translated into all major European languages and was the subject of heated disputes into the most important courts of the Old Continent. Often misinterpreted, the core ideas of Machiavelli were so despised that a term was coined to refer to them: ​Machiavellianism. To these days the term indicates a cynical attitude, according to which a politician is justified to do any tort if the end requires it.