# Fill a gap in my knowledge. When to use ' and when to use " ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704 "2004-09-09T00:23:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/1 "2004-09-09T00:23:01Z")
I am often quoting stuff (phrases, or when refering to a word) in my posts. For sentences I use **"** and for single words I use **'**. What are the rules? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/2 "2004-09-09T01:16:03Z")
It depends on whether you’re following English or American usage. In America, we use double quotes around a quotation of whatever length (a word, a whole sentence), and single quotes for a quote-within-a-quote: “Is it okay to yell ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater?” asked Bob. The British way, I think, is the reverse of this. (I could be wrong, but I do know Brits typically use ’ where Americans use ".) (Of course, if you’re programming a computer, you follow the rules of whatever language you’re using. In C++, IIRC, you use single quotes around a single character and double quotes around a string.) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/3 "2004-09-09T01:33:48Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > (Of course, if you’re programming a computer, you follow the rules of whatever language you’re using. In C++, IIRC, you use single quotes around a single character and double quotes around a string.) This is probably where I got my usage from. ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/4 "2004-09-09T01:47:21Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > It depends on whether you’re following English or American usage. > > In America, we use double quotes around a quotation of whatever length (a word, a whole sentence), and single quotes for a quote-within-a-quote: > > “Is it okay to yell ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater?” asked Bob. > > The British way, I think, is the reverse of this. (I could be wrong, but I do know Brits typically use ’ where Americans use ".) I think you’re wrong. I was always taught to use the **’** within **"** , just as you said. Although i suppose my English teacher could be wrong. We stopped having grammar taught seperately a good couple of decades ago, for some reason ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/5 "2004-09-09T01:57:59Z")
Also, at least in the States, " is only used for actual quotes: if you are using a word in a way that implies ‘so-called,’ single quote marks are correct (for example: The guy tried to pass himself off as a police officer, but his cover was blown when the ‘officer’ couldn’t remember the Miranda warning). So if you are ever tempted to put " marks around a word or phrase, only do so if you are actually quoting someone/something (or, I believe, for some titles). 🙂 Lynne Truss’s book [_Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592400876/qid=1094694928/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-5666170-9183900) contains some great examples of how American and British styles differ (the author is British, btw). It’s quite a fun read, if you’re into things like commas and quote marks…which, of course, I am. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/6 "2004-09-09T02:37:41Z")
I have a similar question, but I don’t think it deserves its own thread, so I will hijack this one :o : In text formating, do we use one or two spaces after a fullstop? I’ve always used just one, but a friend of mine told me it should be two, and that one space is used only after a semicolon. Is that true? ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/7 "2004-09-09T02:45:48Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I have a similar question, but I don’t think it deserves its own thread, so I will hijack this one :o : > > In text formating, do we use one or two spaces after a fullstop? I’ve always used just one, but a friend of mine told me it should be two, and that one space is used only after a semicolon. Is that true? That’s how I was taught. Of course, it doesn’t matter at all on this board, because any spaces beyond the first are ignored in HTML. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/8 "2004-09-09T03:13:14Z")
> [@Catalyst](#): > > That’s how I was taught. Of course, it doesn’t matter at all on this board, because any spaces beyond the first are ignored in HTML. Well, it **is** possible to aproximate double-spaces at the end of your sentences here.MIt’s just a royal pain to do for anything but very short posts. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/9 "2004-09-09T03:41:04Z")
Back in the days when manuscripts were typewritten, two spaces were mandated after a full stop. Today, however, editors normally prefer the use of one space everywhere, especially if the hard copy manuscript will eventually wind up in electronic format, as almost all do. I’ve switched over to one space in all my work. In standard U.S. manuscript format, double quotes are always used, even for the single word quote that **misnomer** mistakenly cited. It’s also standard to change British single quotes to double quotes when quoting a British text. Single quotes are reserved for quotes within a quote, except for a couple of highly technical uses\*, at least according to my 13th edition _Chicago Manual of Style_. Other style manuals may disagree. If you are told to follow one, follow it slavishly. Otherwise it’s double quotes all the way. - I knew you were going to ask. They are: appended translations, e.g. French _le cheval_ ‘the horse’ philosophical terms, e.g. ‘being’ ‘nonbeing’ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/10 "2004-09-09T03:56:24Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Also, at least in the States, " is only used for actual quotes: if you are using a word in a way that implies ‘so-called,’ single quote marks are correct (for example: The guy tried to pass himself off as a police officer, but his cover was blown when the ‘officer’ couldn’t remember the Miranda warning). So if you are ever tempted to put " marks around a word or phrase, only do so if you are actually quoting someone/something (or, I believe, for some titles). 🙂 I’d like to see a citation on this, because I’m pretty certain that most style guides allow quotations marks to be used to indicate irony (AP, APA, and the Chicago Manual of Style all agree on this. Plus, the best I’ve found online in a cursory search so far: > [@](#): > > Quotations marks (") in American English are always made with double marks. Single quotation marks are used only if a quotation is made within a quotation. Despite common misuse, single quotation marks are not appropriate to effect a voice in your prose, particularly irony. from [http://bss.sfsu.edu/jacksonc/g-write.htm](http://bss.sfsu.edu/jacksonc/g-write.htm) Also, double quotation marks are not just used for direct quotes. They are also used in the titles of shorter works (e.g. The Beatles sang “I Am The Walrus”), setting off slang words, and probably some other uses I am forgetting. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/11 "2004-09-09T09:37:46Z")
> [@Joe Random](#): > > Well, it **is** possible to aproximate double-spaces at the end of your sentences here.MIt’s just a royal pain to do for anything but very short posts. And it is even easier to get true double spaces.  Just gotta know the right key combination. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/12 "2004-09-09T10:06:15Z")
Subeditor speaking here. With stuff like this it’s not a question of right and wrong, it’s a question of style. Pick one and use it consistently. For instance, the (British) publication I work for mandates double quotes – whether you are quoting a single word or a whole sentence, actual dialogue or “scare quotes” – and single quotes inside them. Double spacing after a full stop is considered outdated, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/13 "2004-09-09T13:36:32Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Double spacing after a full stop is considered outdated, IMHO. I would go farther and say it’s fact not opinion. This rule is a holdover from the old typewriter days, and perhaps even from 19th century type design. It should only apply to monospaced fonts such as what you get on a typewriter, or Courier and its ilk on the PC. Monospaced fonts are fonts in which each character takes up exactly the same amount of space. In Courier, “iiiii” takes as much horizontal space as “mmmmm.” Anyhow, these days, monospaced fonts are rarely used except for manuscripts and coding. The proportional fonts we use already are designed for maximum readibility and the amount of space between sentences has been carefully determined. So, if you want to continue two-spacing after every sentence, it’s only correct to do so with monospaced fonts. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/14 "2004-09-09T13:51:43Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I am often quoting stuff (phrases, or when refering to a word) in my posts. For sentences I use **"** and for single words I use **'**. > What are the rules? 😃 😃 😃😃 **rules, rules did you say?** This is the American language…not English. We don’t need no stinking rules. Honestly, there are so many “standards” in use here that you can forget about one set of rules. Practically every profession has a certain set of rules they write by. It’s similar to the use of a comma in a list of items. Years ago you wouldn’t insert a comma before the word and in the list. Now you do. When in college and writing research papers you have a different guideline to write by for various subjects. I especially enjoy writing bibliographies for different subjects reports. **RULES…hah** don’t make me laugh. 😉 BTW Use double quotes on all quoted material and you’ll be fine. Quotes within quotes, italics. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/15 "2004-09-09T17:31:44Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > In standard U.S. manuscript format, double quotes are always used, even for the single word quote that **misnomer** mistakenly cited. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I’d like to see a citation on this, because I’m pretty certain that most style guides allow quotations marks to be used to indicate irony (AP, APA, and the Chicago Manual of Style all agree on this. I was not “mistaken,” this just turns out to be another stylistic difference that I was told – more than once – was _not_ a style issue. I have been a technical writer and editor for more than 6 years, my B.A. is in English/Communications, and I am currently in graduate school pursuing an M.A. in English with a concentration in Professional Writing & Editing. I’ve been told the single quote/double quote ‘rule’ by a professor who teaches writing at the graduate level, and by other professional editors. So I wasn’t just swinging through GQ when I decided to bestow my best guess about this stuff: just as you ‘know’ I am wrong, I ‘knew’ I was correct. (It is mentioned in _Eats, Shoots & Leaves_, though not as a rule of any kind: the author merely explains that “There is a difference between saying someone is “out of sorts” (a direct quote) and ‘out of sorts’ (i.e., not feeling very well): when single quotes serve both functions, you lose this distinction.” (p. 152) I think the same logic applies to double quotes, though now we are strictly in opinion territory.) No, I cannot provide a cite for what I said – though I’m sure that if I looked long and hard enough, I could find some fool on the internet who agrees with me. My ‘factual answer’ was borne of experience and instruction. I should know by now that when it comes to language, even rules that I consider hard and fast are almost never _rules_. :smack: That said, I am no more ‘wrong’ than you are. 😛 > [@pulykamell](#): > > Also, double quotation marks are not just used for direct quotes. They are also used in the titles of shorter works (e.g. The Beatles sang “I Am The Walrus”)… Yes, I thought I covered that when I said “or, I believe, for some titles.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/16 "2004-09-09T17:32:24Z")
I generally use double quotes for dialogue and single quotes for quotes-within-quotes and for non-dialogue words and phrases. I tend to avoid irony quotes; I find that a lot of “writers” like to use them to imply their “opinion”, even when text is supposed to be “non-biased”. (I have a world almanac that puts “war on terrorism” in irony quotes, which indicates the author’s opinion on it.) A related question: when using quotes-within-quotes, what is the order of punctuation? For example, “‘Be sure to put the period before the closing single quote,’ my English teacher once warned me, ‘even though you’ll have three quotes in a row.’” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/17 "2004-09-09T18:01:45Z")
> [@](#): > > (Of course, if you’re programming a computer, you follow the rules of whatever language you’re using. In C++, IIRC, you use single quotes around a single character and double quotes around a string.) With the caveat that there’s a distinction between a single character and a one-character string. In other words, there are some contexts where “r” would be correct, but ‘r’ would not be. As to order of punctuation relative to quotes, sources will vary, but I’ve always found the best method to be to put that which is quoted inside the quotation marks, and that which is not quoted outside of the quotation marks. This will occassionally lead to peculiar constructions, but the meaning is unambiguous. For instance, “Did he just ask ‘Who are you?’?”. The first question mark is finishing the quoted question, and since it is a part of the quote, it’s inside the quote mark. The single quote mark is ending the nested quote, and the second question mark is finishing the sentence which contained the quoted question. The period, incidentally, is finishing the completely unquoted sentence (or fragment, I suppose) which contained the double-quoted quote. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/18 "2004-09-09T19:01:04Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I was not “mistaken,” this just turns out to be another stylistic difference that I was told – more than once – was _not_ a style issue. > > I have been a technical writer and editor for more than 6 years, my B.A. is in English/Communications, and I am currently in graduate school pursuing an M.A. in English with a concentration in Professional Writing & Editing. I’ve been told the single quote/double quote ‘rule’ by a professor who teaches writing at the graduate level, and by other professional editors. Well, then I don’t know what to say. I also have a BA in English, plus two years copy editing experience. The only time I have seen any style guide allow use of single quotes for something other than quote-within-a-quote is with some philosophical and theological words with special meaning (and the current Chicago Manual of Style discourages this, IIRC), and in linguistic studies to enclose definitions. That’s the only reason I asked for a cite, because both professionally and academically, I have never heard a rule that double quotes should be strictly used for quotations. I just want to know where your professors get this, as the Chicago Manual of Style and AP (which a majority of American publications follow), don’t recommend those usages. Honestly, as long as you’re consistent with your punctuation, it’s not an issue. I’ve just never seen this rule in a professional context. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/19 "2004-09-09T19:06:19Z")
Ugh. And, of course, a slew of punctuation errors in my previous post. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704/20 "2004-09-09T19:53:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That’s the only reason I asked for a cite, because both professionally and academically, I have never heard a rule that double quotes should be strictly used for quotations. With my last post I was trying – apparently badly – to say that what I _thought_ was a rule is, in fact, not. It’s not like I’ve heard it from _every_ professor or _every_ other professional writer/editor, just that I’d heard it from one of the former and at least two of the latter (it’s actually only come up those few times). I maintain that I wasn’t wrong about the usage, but I _was_ wrong to present it as a rule. (Hmm, second time in as many days that I’ve been not-quite-correct with a GQ answer… :o … there’s a lesson for me here, somewhere 😉 ). As you say, if I may paraphrase you, consistency is the only real ‘rule.’ 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fill-a-gap-in-my-knowledge-when-to-use-and-when-to-use/263704.md?page=2)