Separated by a Common Language: British vs. American English (Quotations)
Updated: 4 days ago
In general, in both American English (AmE) and British English (BrE), quotation marks are used to mark:
Direct speech (someone’s exact words)
Words of special emphasis
Titles of literary and artistic works
Sneer and irony remarks
Quotation Marks (AmE) vs. Inverted Commas (BrE)
While Americans prefer the term quotations marks, Brits use the term inverted commas. Another difference is that AmE uses double quotes, while BrE prefers single quotes.
Quotations Within Quotations
AmE predominantly uses double marks “…”, while usage in BrE is divided, though British manuals tend to favor single marks ‘...’.
AmE and BrE use both kinds of quotes for formatting quotations within quotations.
Example: A quotation within a quotation:
Whichever kind of quotes is not used for the main quotation is then used for the quotation within:
AmE (quoted material): I heard “Keep out” being shouted.
BrE (quoted material): I heard ‘Keep out’ being shouted.
AmE (double, single): “I heard ‘Keep out’ being shouted,” he said.
BrE (single, double): ‘I heard “Keep out” being shouted,’ he said.
AmE & BrE: Similarities: Quotation Marks Combined with Other Marks
Like parentheses, quotation marks can co-occur with other marks of punctuation, with many similarities and some significant differences between AmE and BrE. The similarities can be formulated as a few general rules, applicable to both AmE and BrE.
Reporting Clause (Speaker Tag/Attribution)
A sentence with a direct speech clause is a complex sentence, consisting of a reporting clause (he said suddenly; shocked as she was, she exclaimed) and a quoted material (or a direct speech clause).
A reporting clause itself contains the so-called speaker tag (he said, she asked) or attribution, consisting of a subject and a reporting verb (say, ask, tell, etc.). Reporting clauses are often represented by speaker tags only, which makes it difficult to categorize such clauses. On their own, speaker tags are syntactically incomplete in that they tend to contain a transitive verb.
For example:
Speaker tag (incomplete clause): He said [...]
Quoted material (direct speech clause): It’s outrageous.
What completes them are quoted materials, which behave like nominal object clauses. Therefore, clauses containing direct speech may be analyzed as nominal clauses, embedded within the clause containing the reporting verb:
Nominal clause:
He said +that + [it was outrageous].
S V Object
Direct speech clause:
He said + “It’s outrageous.”
S V Object
However, the relationship between the clauses is looser in such structures than is normally the case with nominal clauses. The answer may be in the prosody. If you read a sentence with a direct speech clause, you will immediately notice that, unlike the nominal object clause, the clause is pronounced as a separate tone unit. The speaker tag is clearly followed by a comma intonation and a pause, which in writing is shown with a comma (or colon):
Sentence-initial speaker tag:
He said, “It’s outrageous.
This “separateness” of the direct speech clause becomes unmistakable if we shift the speaker tag to the middle or the end of the sentence. In such positions, the speaker tag is pronounced with a characteristically low-key tone, which is typical of a parenthetical comment or remark. Low key signals that the comment is separate from the main flow of the sentence:
For example, compare the following:
Sentence-final speaker tag: Sentence-final comment clause:
“It’s outrageous,” he said. vs. It’s outrageous, I dare say.
Interrupting speaker tag: Interrupting comment clause:
“It’s outrageous,” he said, “not to mention illegal.” vs. It’s outrageous, I dare say, not to mention illegal.
When we read these sentences, we can easily establish that the prosodic patterns are exactly the same. In other words, speaker tags behave like comment clauses. Just as any interrupting or sentence-final comment clauses (I'm sure, I'm afraid, I admit, I gather, I dare say, you see, you know, mind you, you must admit, etc.), speaker tags placed medially or finally are pronounced rapidly but always in low key (unless the speaker considers their content worth emphasizing).
And just as sentence-initial comment clauses, when placed initially, speaker tags are pronounced in a higher key and as separate tone units, in which case high key signals a new topic:
Sentence-initial speaker tag: Sentence-initial comment clause:
He said, “That's outrageous.” vs. I dare say, it’s outrageous.
More complicated are clauses with extended reporting clauses.
For example:
Original quotation: I don’t know.
Reporting clause: She said and stormed out of the room.
Sentence-initial quotation:
“I don’t know,” she said and stormed out of the room.
Here, however, we can interrupt the reporting verb clause with the quotation, which means the reporting verb clause is actually the main one:
Interrupting quotation:
She said, “I don’t know,” and stormed out of the room.
So, it seems that, where the clause containing the reporting verb is short and mobile, it is indeed best regarded as a peripheral element that behaves like a parenthetical comment clause. With a longer clause with a reporting verb, the grammatical analysis rather depends on the context.
AmE & BrE: Double Quotation
👉 Rule No. 1: Avoid double punctuation.
Punctuation marks follow a certain hierarchy: An exclamation point is the strongest, then comes a question mark, which is followed by a period:
comma < dash < colon < semicolon < period < question mark < exclamation point
weaker ——————————————————————⟶ stronger
If a quotation is a complete sentence (a declarative statement, a question, or an exclamation) and falls at the end of a larger sentence, avoid double punctuation: Choose the stronger of the marks.
If the same mark of punctuation is required for both the quotation and the sentence as a whole, the quotation’s mark takes precedence.
 | To avoid double punctuation in the end of a sentence, choose either the quotation’s terminal mark (if the terminal marks are identical) or the strongest of the marks (if the terminal marks are different). |
Example: A quoted interrogative sentence within a declarative sentence:
Original quotation: What, me worry?
Reporting clause: My father's catchphrase is […].
AmE: My father’s catchphrase is “What, me worry?”
BrE: My father’s catchphrase is ‘What, me worry?’
Example: A quoted declarative sentence within an interrogative sentence:
Original quotation: I’ll help out.
Reporting clause: Did you say […]?
AmE: Did you say, “I’ll help out”?
BrE: Did you say, ‘I’ll help out’?
Example: A quoted exclamatory sentence within a declarative sentence:
Original quotation: Hello!
Reporting clause: Every time you see her, Paula screams […].
AmE: Every time you see her, Paula screams, “Hello!”
BrE: Every time you see her, Paula screams, ‘Hello!’
Example: A quoted declarative sentence within a exclamatory sentence:
Original quotation: I am quitting.
Reporting clause: I cannot believe he said […]!
AmE: I cannot believe he said, “I am quitting”!
BrE: I cannot believe he said, ‘I am quitting’!
Example: A quoted interrogative sentence within an interrogative sentence:
Original quotation: Will Joe be there?
Reporting clause: Why did Mary ask […]?
AmE: Why did Mary ask, “Will Joe be there?”
BrE: Why did Mary ask, ‘Will Joe be there?’
Example: A quoted exclamatory sentence within an interrogative sentence:
Original quotation: Watch out!
Reporting clause: Who yelled […]?
AmE: Who yelled “Watch out!”
BrE: Who yelled ‘Watch out!’
AmE & BrE: No Internal Interrupting Period
👉 Rule No. 2: The main clause cannot have an internal period (full stop), while the direct speech clause can.
 | If a quotation is a declarative statement, its terminal period (full stop) is replaced with a comma in the sentence. |
💥 The terminal mark (period) of the direct speech clause cannot be duplicated in the main clause and is therefore replaced with a comma:
Original quotation: I don’t know.
Reporting clause: She said and stormed out of the room.
AmE: “I don’t know,” she said and stormed out of the room.
BrE: ‘I don’t know,’ she said and stormed out of the room.
💥 The direct speech clause, however, can have an internal period (full stop):
Original quotation: I don’t know. Does it matter?
Speaker tag: She replied […]
AmE: She replied, “I don’t know. Does it matter?”
BrE: She replied, ‘I don’t know. Does it matter?’
Original quotation: Yes, we will. It’s a good idea.
Speaker tag (comment clause): He said.
AmE: “Yes,” he said, “we will. It’s a good idea.”
BrE: ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘we will. It’s a good idea.’
AmE vs. BrE: Differences
Rule No. 2 specifically applies to sentences with introductory and interrupting quotations, with some AmE and BrE differences:
Introductory Quotation:
1. If the introductory quotation is a declarative statement, its terminal mark (period) is turned into a comma, while the comma intonation between the clauses is omitted to prevent double intonation.
Original quotation: I love you very much.
Speaker tag (comment clause): He said.
AmE: “I love you very much,” he said.
BrE: ‘I love you very much,’ he said.
2. If the introductory quotation is an exclamatory or interrogative statement:
Original quotation: I love you very much!
Speaker tag (comment clause): He said.
AmE: “I love you very much!” he said.
BrE: ‘I love you very much!’ he said.
Closing Quotation:
1. With a closing quotation, the comma after the speaker tag signals a comma intonation (+ pause). The quotation’s period takes precedence over the speaker tag’s period:
AmE: He said, “I love you very much.”
BrE: He said, ‘I love you very much.’
2. If the closing quotation is exclamatory or interrogative:
AmE: He said, “I love you very much!”
BrE: He said, ‘I love you very much!’
Interrupted Quotations
If the quotation is interrupted by the speaker tag, the interrupting speaker tag is marked with comma intonations on both sides, marked in writing with enclosing commas.
💥 The comma intonation before the speaker tag is placed outside the closing punctuation mark in BrE and inside the closing punctuation mark in AmE:
AmE: “I love you,” he said, “very much.”
BrE: ‘I love you’, he said, ‘very much.’
The comma before the speaker tag does not belong to the original quotation.
💥 If the quotation has internal punctuation, both AmE and BrE have the comma before the speaker tag placed inside the closing punctuation mark:
Original quotation: I love you, Maya, very much.
Speaker tag (comment clause): He said.
AmE: “I love you, Maya,” he said, “very much.”
BrE: ‘I love you, Maya,’ he said, ‘very much.’
The comma before the speaker tag belongs to the original quotation.
American English: Convenience & Aesthetics
👉 Rule No. 3: In AmE, always keep a comma or a period inside the closing quotation mark, even if it does not belong to the original quotation.
This rule holds true for any kinds of quotations: labels, definitions, titles of works, citations or sentence fragments, and complete sentences:
AmE (label): Sign your name wherever you see an “X.”
AmE (label): The package was labeled “Fragile,” but that meant nothing to your delivery crew.
AmE (definition): In Spain, one with free time will dar un paseo, literally “give a stroll,” until it is time to resume the workday.
AmE (title): My favorite poem is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”
AmE (title): Sandor’s study, “Criteria for Evaluating Staff Efficiency,” is now available online.
 | American English always puts a period or a comma inside the closing quotation mark. |
AmE (citation): Selma thinks the magazine looks “fresh” and “crisp.”
AmE (citation): All she said was “No.”
AmE (direct speech): “Let’s go over the details again,” she said.
AmE (direct speech & label): Mr. Poston said, “Please let me see all the orders marked ‘Rush.’”
British English: Logic & Consistency
👉 Rule No. 4: In BrE, punctuate according to the logic of the sentence.
If the quoted material is not a complete sentence, then a comma or a period should remain outside the closing quotation mark. In other words, a punctuation mark (e.g., an exclamation point, question mark, dash, or parentheses) should remain outside the closing quotation mark unless it belongs to the quotation.
 | According to Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, in British English, all signs of punctuation used with words in quotation marks must be placed according to the sense (logic), meaning that only those punctuation marks that appear in the original quoted material should be included within quotation marks. |
BrE (label): Sign your name wherever you see an ‘X’.
BrE (label): The package was labeled ‘Fragile’, but that meant nothing to your delivery crew.
BrE (definition): In Spain, one with free time will dar un paseo, literally ‘give a stroll’, until it is time to resume the workday.
BrE (title): My favorite poem is Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’.
BrE (title): Sandor’s study, ‘Criteria for Evaluating Staff Efficiency’, is now available online.
BrE (citation): Selma thinks the magazine looks ‘fresh’ and ‘crisp’.
BrE (citation): All she said was ‘No’.
BrE (direct speech): ‘Let’s go over the details again’, she said.
BrE (direct speech & label): Mr. Poston said, ‘Please let me see all the orders marked “Rush”’.
Logic, Logics, Logistics
Nothing is more personal than logic! Expectedly, punctuating according to logic has its caveats.
👉 Rule No. 5: For BrE publications, follow the BrE conventions to punctuate sentence fragments, but AmE for direct speech sentences with complete quotations.
In theory, the position of the period depends on whether the quoted sentence is a complete one. However, it is not always clear whether a quotation is a complete sentence.
Let's consider an example:
Original quotation: It cannot be done.
Reporting clause: I have often heard you say […]
The quotation seems to be a complete sentence that starts with a capital letter. So, many BrE publishers (especially in fiction and journalism) follow a rule of thumb that, if the quotation contains a grammatically complete sentence starting with a capital letter, the period should remain inside the closing quote (as in AmE):
👉 BrE (preferred in fiction): I have often heard you say ‘It cannot be done.’
Yet, one can argue that the main sentence suggests an allusion (demonstrated by the lack of a comma intonation after say) rather than a direct quotation, which is how the British Standard BS 5261–1:2000 recommends interpreting it, especially for nonfiction texts:
👉 BrE (standard & nonfiction): I have often heard you say ‘It cannot be done’.
Furthermore, in much modern British fiction and journalism, a comma is formatted as in AmE:
👉 BrE (preferred in fiction): BrE: ‘I love you,’ he said, ‘very much.’
To put it shortly:
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Compare:
BrE (standard, nonfiction): ‘Father’, he said, ‘is looking well today, as if nothing happened’.