Single inverted commas examples

The use of quotation marks, also called inverted commas, is very slightly complicated by the fact that there are two types: single quotes (` ') and double quotes (" ").

As a general rule, British usage has in the past usually preferred single quotes for ordinary use, but double quotes are now increasingly common; American usage has always preferred double quotes. As we shall see below, the use of double quotes in fact offers several advantages, and this is the usage I recommend here.

The chief use of quotation marks is quite easy to understand: a pair of quotation marks encloses a direct quotation — that is, a repetition of someone's exact words.

Inverted commas symbol

Here are some examples:

President Kennedy famously exclaimed "Ich bin ein Berliner!"

Madonna is fond of declaring "I'm not ashamed of anything."

"The only emperor", writes Wallace Stevens, "is the emperor of ice cream."

Look closely at these examples.

Note first that what is enclosed in quotes must be the exact words of the person being quoted. Anything which is no

use inverted commas in a sentence

use of inverted commas in american english