- In American English, use double quotation marks for quotations and single quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
- In British English, use single quotation marks for quotations and double quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
- A quotation within a quotation is also known as a nested quotation. Quotation marks around it mark it as a distinct quote from the larger cited text.
- Nested quotations may be necessary when you’re quoting dialogue, citing a source within another source, and conducting literary analysis.
- Periods and commas are placed inside both the single and double quotation marks in American English. British English usually places punctuation outside unless it is part of the quoted material.
The rules for using quotation marks inside a quote can seem complicated, but once you understand the basic principles, it’s not so bad. But what do you do when you’ve got a quote within a quote? That depends on a few factors, like whether you’re using American or British English and whether there are other punctuation marks within the quote.
It’s not uncommon to encounter a quotation within a quotation in your writing, especially with academic and professional writing. It’s also a common challenge for writers and often leaves them wondering when to use single versus double quotation marks.
Ready to learn more about how to write a quotation within a quotation? Read on.
Table of contents
When to use quotations within quotations
Basic rules for using quotation marks
Single vs. double quotation marks and quotes
Punctuation rules for quotes in quotes
How to use multiple layers of nested quotations
Quoting quotes within dialogue
Quoting quotes in academic and professional writing
How to quote a quote like a pro
Quotations within quotations FAQs
When to use quotations within quotations
You may need to write a quotation within a quotation when you’re quoting a statement that includes a quote. Here’s an example:
As you can see, there are two quotes in this example. The main quote is enclosed in double quotation marks, and the quote within it is enclosed in single quotation marks. This is the standard way to write a quotation within a quotation in American English. In British English, it’s the opposite—the main quote is enclosed in single quotation marks, and the quote within it is enclosed with double quotation marks.
There’s a reason why both British and American English have rules for how to quote a quote: without two distinct sets of quotation marks, it can be easy to lose a quote within a larger quote and mistake one speaker’s words for another’s.
The question isn’t really what kind of English you’re writing. It’s where you’re writing, or what audience you’re writing for. You might be an American student attending a British school for a term or two, in which case you’d be expected to follow the British practice. Maybe you’re a British worker employed in the London office of an American-based company that wants you to follow the American style. Possibly you live and work elsewhere in the world and use English at your job, and your employer asks you to follow one or the other of these styles.
When you include a quotation within a quotation in your writing, follow the conventions of your style guide if you’re working with one. Style guides include MLA, APA, and the Chicago Manual of Style.
If your single and double quotation marks end up next to each other (either at the beginning or end of the quote), you don’t need to add a space between them.
What are nested quotes?
Sometimes, a quotation within a quotation is known as a nested quote. Using quotation marks inside a quote is correct when writing a nested quote. This differentiates it from the outer quote.
When to use nested quotes
Use nested quotes when you’re quoting dialogue or citing a source within a source. You may encounter these scenarios in any type of writing, but they tend to occur most frequently in literary analysis and other types of academic writing. Here are a few examples:
The purpose of including quotation marks within a quote is to create a hierarchy of quotations. This is why American English requires the outer quote to have double quotation marks, the inner quote to have single quotation marks, and British English requires the reverse. This visual hierarchy denotes exactly where the quotes fit into the larger work and helps the reader avoid confusion.
Basic rules for using quotation marks
Quotation marks (“”) are used to signify that a piece of text is a quotation. In fiction and creative nonfiction, they signify dialogue. In nonfiction, business writing, academic writing, and other contexts, they show that the text within is a direct quote from a source rather than the author’s own words.
In some cases, quotation marks set words or passages apart from the rest of the text. For example, they may be used to note the title of a book chapter or a short film, though certain style guides advise writers to do this in other ways.
What is the purpose of using quotation marks?
Quotation marks signal the use of another person’s words. This could be a character’s speech in a piece of fiction, a snippet of a conversation in a nonfiction piece, or a portion of another’s writing included in an academic or professional piece.
Direct vs. indirect quotes
Only use quotation marks with direct quotes. Direct quotes are the exact words from a source. Indirect quotes are restatements of the source’s words, typically altered for style, length, or clarity. Do not use quotation marks with indirect quotes.
Direct: During our interview, Dr. Perez said, “I’ve been with the university for 20 years, and in my time here, I have published an average of three papers per year.”
Indirect: During our interview, Dr. Perez told me he’s published an average of three papers per year during his two-decade tenure with the university.
Using quotation marks to indicate titles, terms, or phrases
Quotation marks can also be used to indicate the titles of articles, essays, songs, chapters within books, and other short works like these. Though you might also see book and movie titles in quotation marks, generally, longer works’ titles are italicized. Here are a few examples of titles in quotation marks:
Single vs. double quotation marks and quotes
To quote a quote, follow the same procedure you’d follow with any other quote—enclose it in quotation marks and, if necessary, cite your source. In American English, use double quotes for the outside quote and single quotes for the inside quote. In British English, do the opposite. Here’s a quick look at both types of quotation marks:
Single: I said, ‘We would love the opportunity to work with you.’
Double: I said, “We would love the opportunity to work with you.”
In both British and American English, using a different type of quotation mark for inner and outer quotes ensures clarity for readers. Clear writing is generally regarded as professional, as it strives to make the writing as easy to understand as possible.
American English rules for quotes within quotes
In American English, the standard format is to use double quotation marks first, with single quotation marks inside.
British English rules for quotes within quotes
In British English, the convention is reversed, with single quotation marks on the outside and double quotation marks for nested quotes.
Punctuation rules for quotes in quotes
Generally, if a quote is a complete sentence, end it with a punctuation mark like you would any other sentence. These punctuation marks go inside the quotation marks. If a quote is not a complete sentence, the punctuation rules vary between American and British English.
If you aren’t sure how to punctuate a quote within a quote, Grammarly can help. Grammarly checks your writing to catch any spelling, punctuation, or other grammatical mistakes you might have missed and makes helpful suggestions you can use to write with confidence.
Punctuating quotes within quotes in American English
In American English, periods, commas, and other punctuation marks are placed inside both double and single quotation marks.
Punctuating quotes within quotes in British English
Generally, British English places punctuation marks outside quotation marks unless the punctuation is part of the quote.
How to use multiple layers of nested quotations
The most effective way to keep nested quotations clear is to use one type of quotation mark for the outer quote and the other type for the inner quote. But what if you have a quote within a quote within a quote?
Triple-nested quotes can be quite tricky. We recommend avoiding excessive layering with strategies like paraphrasing quotes. For example, instead of a triple-nested quote, you might instead write something like “he said that she said that they said …”
When you can’t paraphrase or otherwise avoid a triple-nested quote, you should alternate the quotation marks. Here’s an example:
See how this could be confusing? Whenever possible, paraphrase layered quotes like these.
Quoting quotes within dialogue
Quotes within dialogue follow the same rules as nested quotes in other contexts. Treat them the same as you would quotes in reported speech or nested quotes in academic sources.
In most cases, use a comma before a quotation. Within dialogue that contains quoted material, follow the same punctuation rules that apply in all other sentences. Similarly, if a quote is a complete sentence, use appropriate punctuation within the quotation marks. However, if the quote is not a complete sentence, include punctuation within the quotes in American English and outside the quotes in British English.
Quoting quotes in academic and professional writing
When it comes to how to write a quotation within a quotation in academic and professional writing, refer to your editor or style guide to ensure you’re doing it correctly. It’s fairly common to write nested quotes in these kinds of writing, as these kinds of writing often require you to reference source material. If you don’t have an editor or style guide, choose one of these conventions, such as single quotation marks for nested quotes, and stay consistent throughout the piece.
Quoting quotes in academic writing
In academic writing, a smooth way to introduce a quote is to first introduce its author.
If you’re not sure how to handle nested quotes, check your style guide.
Quoting quotes in professional writing
In business writing, like reports and emails, choose a format for nested quotes and stick to it. Here is an example:
Dear colleagues, During my meeting with the client today, he gave some very direct feedback. “We’ve been very pleased with your payment processing services,” he said. “In fact, one of my clients just told me, ‘I love paying you because it’s so easy.’”
In professional writing, it’s generally best to keep nested quotes concise. This could mean cutting them down to only the parts your reader needs, or opting to paraphrase them. Keeping quotes concise can help you maintain a professional tone and keep your writing, as a whole, succinct.
How to quote a quote like a pro
At some point in your writing life, you’ll most likely encounter a scenario where you need to include a quotation within another quotation. When you do, be sure to indicate both quotes with quotation marks. Whether you choose double quotation marks for the outer quote and single quotation marks for the inner quote or vice versa doesn’t really matter; what matters most is that you’re consistent.
Quotations within quotations FAQs
How do you format a quote within a quote in American English?
To quote a quote in American English, use double quotation marks for the outer quote and single quotation marks for the inner quote.
What’s the rule for quoting quotes in British English?
To quote a quote in British English, use single quotation marks for the outer quote and double quotation marks for the inner quote.
Where do punctuation marks go in nested quotes?
In American English, punctuation marks go inside nested quotes’ quotation marks. In British English, the punctuation’s placement depends on its context. If a period or other punctuation is part of the nested quote or the quote is a complete sentence, it goes within the quotation marks. Otherwise, British English places punctuation outside nested quotes’ quotation marks.
How do you avoid confusion with multiple nested quotes?
When a quoted piece of writing contains multiple nested quotes, the text can quickly become confusing. An effective way to avoid having multiple nested quotes within one larger quote is to paraphrase one or more quotations instead of citing them directly. Another strategy is to use indirect speech to include their content without including more direct quotes.
Are the rules for quoting quotes the same in all style guides?
Generally, the rules for quotes are consistent across style guides. However, there may be differences between them, and for academic writing, there are significant differences in citing sources. Always check your specific style guide, if applicable, to determine the correct way to write quotations and citations.
