Using quotation marks in titles | Punctuation | Khan Academy

Hello grammarians! Hello, Paige! Hi, David! So, today we're going to be talking about quotation marks. What are they and what do they do?

Paige Finch: We use quotation marks to indicate when someone is speaking, right? So if we're writing dialogue, we can say, "I like strawberry jam," said Lady Buffington. So that's one use of quotation marks, which is to quote direct dialogue or to quote from a broader work.

We can also use quotation marks for the titles of things. So, Paige, if you remember, you can use underlines or italics to indicate the title of something big, like a book of poetry or an album of songs or a movie or a television show.

So, Paige, for instance, one of my favorite albums is Gentle Giant's 1975 album, Free Hand. Okay, but that's with italics or not with italics or an underline in this case since I'm writing it by hand. But track two on that record is called "On Reflection."

Okay, so we put quotes around each individual song on the album, right? So this is the album, and this is a single song on it. Paige, let's say you and Jake wrote a book of bread poetry.

Paige Finch: Okay, yes, right, that is something I would do.

David: And he called it The Yeast.

Paige Finch: I can do that!

David: That is a great title. Thank you, right? So underline it to indicate that that's the full title. So this is the book, and then this book is made up of individual poems.

So let's say you wrote a poem in the book called, "Do You Love Me?"

Paige Finch: Sure, why not?

David: So that's in quotes, and that indicates that this is a single work or a single poem. Okay, also let me know when that book is coming out because I'll buy your book of poetry.

So it's not just songs and poems, right? But it's also magazine and newspaper articles, TV episodes. Really, it's anything that is smaller than a larger work, right? It's something like inside of a larger thing, like a collection or, right? Yeah, an album.

So, you know, like if you were writing for a magazine or a newspaper, that newspaper's title, you know, The Khan Academy Times, would be either italicized or underlined. But an article that you wrote for it, you know, would be in quotes.

I think that about does it for quotation marks, Paige.

Paige Finch: Yeah, David.

David: Yup, I think I thought of a bread poetry book name.

Paige Finch: Okay, what is it?

David: Loaves of Grass.

Paige Finch: Yup, yup, yup, that's pretty good!

David: Okay, all right, putting it in there. That's quotation marks. You can learn anything.

Dave out.

Page out.

Loaves of Grass.