Italics and quotation marks are used to draw attention to text. For example, italics are used to draw attention to key terms and phrases when providing definitions and to format parts of reference list entries (e.g., titles of books and periodicals). Quotation marks are used to present linguistic examples and titles of book chapters and articles in the text.

Straight and curly quotes Always use curly quotes. Straight quotes are the two generic ver­ti­cal quo­ta­tion marks lo­cated near the re­turn key: the straight sin­gle quote (') and the straight dou­ble quote ('). Curly quotes are the quo­ta­tion marks used in good ty­pog­ra­phy.

When writers follow guidelines for the use of italics and quotation marks, their papers become more consistent and readable.

Note that this category addresses the use of quotation marks other than in the presentation of direct quotations. For information on how to use quotation marks when presenting quotations, see the In-Text Citations category.

1. Quote vs Quotation The English language is constantly evolving, and so oftentimes we find ourselves wondering whether old rules still apply on how we use words. This is usually illustrated in our usage of certain terms that we think both refer to one thing but upon closer examination we can see that they are really different from each other.
2. (2) When soliciting quotations or offers, the contracting officer shall notify potential quoters or offerors of the basis on which award will be made (price alone or price and other factors, e.g., past performance and quality). Contracting officers are encouraged to use best value.

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Single vs Double Quotes

In English language, the use of inverted commas or quotation marks as they are popularly known as is very common. These can be single or double quotation and people hardly notice the difference. In general, these quotation marks are used when quoting something said by someone (quoting him). Quotation marks can be curly or straight with the straight ones being more common in typewriters. However, single quotes and double quotes are two punctuation marks that are easily confused by many people due to their similar appearance.

What is a single quote?

A single quotation mark is a single curved line that resembles an inverted coma, often used to denote speech to indicate direct speech. However, it is in countries like United Kingdom and South Africa that the single quotation marks are most preferred in speech.

Single quotes are also used to indicate speech within speech. For example, look at the following sentence.

“The child testified that the ‘dark man’ appeared that morning right before the murder.”

Single quotes are also used to indicate irony or sarcasm. For example, look at the following sentence.

Apparently it was the “good girl” who had broken all the rules.

A single quote can also be used to used to emphasize a point. For example,

The ‘X’ marked place on the map

What are double quotation marks?

Quotes Vs Quotation Marks

Double quotation marks are used to indicate direct speech, and it is there in the beginning and in the end to distinguish direct speech from the rest of the sentence. Countries like the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand prefer to use the double quotes for this purpose. When the double quotation is used, it is indicated that the person is directly speaking to someone.

What is the difference between single and double quotes?

A common mistake that any beginner or someone proficient in the English language would make is to be confused between the single and double quotes. It is easy to assume that the two are interchangeable because of the similarity of their appearance, however, this is not the case.

• In speech, countries such as US and Canada prefer the double quotes whereas countries such as UK prefer the single quote.

Examples Of Quotations In Writing

• Generally, double quotes are used to indicate that a person is directly speaking to someone whereas the single quote is used to imply a quote within a quote.

• Single quotes are used to indicate sarcasm or irony whereas double quotes are not used for this purpose.

• Single quotes are also used to emphasize on certain points within a text.