Quotation Marks Name ____________________
In the business world, quotation marks are sometimes used haphazardly. If the rules seem a bit
hazy in your mind, here is a quick review followed by an opportunity for you to check your
understanding.
• Use quotation marks to enclose direct quotations.
• Do not use quotation marks for paraphrased remarks. These remarks are often
introduced by that.
• Use quotation marks to enclose short expressions such as slang, jargon, nicknames,
words used in a special sense for humor or irony, and words following stamped or
marked.
• Use quotation marks or italics for words being defined or used as nouns.
• Do not overuse quotation marks!
When you arrive, go to the Customer Service Department.
Try your skill by placing quotation marks or italics where you think they belong in the following
sentences. Remove any quotation marks incorrectly used, and write “Correct” if the sentence is
properly punctuated. You may use underscoring to indicate italics.
1. Voltaire said, Common sense is not so common.
2. Albert Einstein said that the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.
7. Businesspeople often use the term best practices to mean the most effective techniques in
a field or an industry.
8. Senior executives want anything brought to their attention to be “high level”; that is, they
want it neatly summarized and free of technical terms.
13. The expression cook the books is not what we want to hear when a government
investigation begins.
14. Did the manager say that she wanted me to merge documents with our database list?
Key
1. Voltaire said, “Common sense is not so common.” [Use quotation marks for a direct
quotation. Notice that the period goes inside the quotation marks.]
2. Albert Einstein said that the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. [No
quotation marks are needed because these are paraphrased remarks.]
8. Senior executives want anything brought to their attention to be “high level”; that is, they
9. Rock star “Sting” got his nickname from wearing yellow-and-black jerseys that other
10. “Happiness,” said comedian George Burns, “is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family
12. The word “secretary” has a long and honorable history, but many office professionals now
13. The expression “cook the books” is not what we want to hear when a government
14. Did the manager say that she wanted me to merge documents with our database list?