Capitalizing and Punctuating Quotations

Capitalizing and Punctuating Quotations Capitalizing and Punctuating Quotations Capitalizing and Punctuating Quotations By Mark Nichol Quotations consisting of complete sentences should always be capitalized, as explained in the discussions and shown in the revisions to the following examples. (Note, too, that each sentence has a punctuation error.) 1. The pendant around his neck reads â€Å"all things are possible.† â€Å"All things are possible† is a complete sentence that follows an attribution, and therefore the first word must be capitalized: â€Å"The pendant around his neck reads, ‘All things are possible.’† (Also, an attribution must be set off from the quotation by a comma.) 2. It’s important to remember to ask ourselves, â€Å"would I spend my own money this way†? The question â€Å"Would I spend my own money this way?† is complete, so capitalization of the first word is required: â€Å"It’s important to remember to ask ourselves, ‘Would I spend my own money this way?’† (Also, note that the quotation, not the framing sentence, is a question, so the question mark must precede the close quotation mark.) 3. He reassured customers who are concerned about their safety saying, â€Å"we are also going to make sure our commitment to safety is unwavering.† This quotation may appear to be a continuation of the main clause of the sentence, but it is a complete sentence on its own and should be capitalized: â€Å"He reassured customers who are concerned about their safety, saying, ‘We are also going to make sure our commitment to safety is unwavering.’† (Also, saying and the quotation constitute a subordinate clause, so to set the clauses off from each other, a comma must precede saying.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One SpellingLoan, Lend, Loaned, LentSupervise vs. Monitor