QUOTES
• Anonymous sources: Direct quotes from anonymous sources (including unidentified homeowners) should not be used. Paraphrase instead.
• Using “says”: In general, attribute quotes with “says,” which should follow the person’s name unless a long identifier follows and makes this awkward.
“We love spending time in the sunroom,” Phil says.
“My mother cried when she walked into this house,” homeowner Lisa Burgess says.
“Garden clubs should consist of couples because they are gardening together,” says Clyde
Thompson, past president of the Men’s Garden Club in Minneapolis.
• Thoughts: In direct quotes, put thoughts in an opposite typeface.
“The place was a mess,” Jane says. “I asked myself, How will we ever feel at home here?”
Also see the Credits: Names section of the BHGStylebook.
QUOTATION MARKS
• Coined words: Use quotation marks around coined words.
They used brass tacks for this “spectackular” project.
• Common expressions: Do not use quotation marks for common expressions or familiar quotations and figures of speech.
The turkey, roasted for Thanksgiving dinner, was done to a turn.
They had not yet begun to fight.
He nailed him to the wall.
(Note: Use such expressions sparingly; most are trite.)
• Product names: Do not use quotation marks around product names, including paints, wallpapers, etc.
• Single quotes: Use single quotation marks rather than double in main headlines, in sidebar headlines, and preceding niche caps.
• “So-called” expressions: Quotation marks usually are not needed for words or phrases used with such words as termed, called, so-called, and known. Quotation marks are often used if so-called is omitted.
The so-called cups were made by folding leaves.
They fashioned a “cup” of folded leaves.
Vinca minor, also called periwinkle, makes a good groundcover.
• Technical terms: Use quotation marks around technical terms in their first use or words with special meaning in a context that may be unfamiliar to the reader.
Over-the-counter markets all quote prices according to a system of “bid” and “asked.”
• Unusual context: Use quotation marks around words used in an unusual context or to mean something other than their usual meaning.
Dusting is the only care your ceramic “pets” will need.
Too many schools “cure” their shortages by using unqualified instructors.
Also see the Titles section of the BHGStylebook.
PUNCTUATION WITH QUOTATION MARKS
• Inside: Put the period or comma inside closing quotation marks, except in botanical names.
See Chapter 2, “Furniture Styles.”
“You get what you pay for,” as the old saying goes.
One of her favorite plants, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, graces the walkway.
• Outside: Put the semicolon or colon outside closing quotation marks.
He made cookie “stoplights”; he put red, yellow, and green gumdrops on logs of dough.
Make cookie “stoplights”: Put red, yellow, and green gumdrops on logs of dough.
• Other: Put the dash, question mark, or exclamation point inside closing quotation marks when it applies only to the quotation and outside closing quotation marks when it applies to the whole statement.
In Chapter 2—“Landscaping Your Yard”—you’ll find additional information about planting for privacy.
He asked, “Will we make our deadline?”
Didn’t he say, “We’ll make our deadline”?
