quotation marks in essays uk

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Quotation Marks and Direct Quotations

• Guide to Punctuation
• Introduction
• Why Learn to Punctuate?
• The Full Stop, the Question Mark and the Exclamation Mark
• The Colon and the Semicolon
• The Apostrophe
• The Hyphen and the Dash
• Capital Letters and Abbreviations
• Scare Quotes
• Quotation Marks in Titles
• Talking About Words
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• Bibliography

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Find out how to integrate quotations purposefully and smoothly into your writing.

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• Good Academic Practice

Quotation is one way to incorporate what you’ve read into your writing. If you use someone else’s words in your assignment, it is crucial to mark them clearly as a quotation and give a reference to the source. It’s also important to understand how to make quotations work effectively to support your argument.

To quote a text means to include a short section from a source, in its original form and wording, in your own work. As neither the idea nor the wording is your own, you need to signal to your reader that the words are a quotation and also include a reference to where the original can be found. If you don’t signal this clearly, you run the risk of plagiarism, as without quotation marks, the reader will falsely assume that the words are yours. Because you are citing text from a specific page in the original, it is common practice to include the page number in the reference so the reader can find it directly without having to read the whole source.

Why use quotation?

Quotation is used when it would strengthen your argument for the reader to see the exact words of the original source, for example, in a definition. Quotation is used more commonly in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences than in Natural and Health Sciences. Some subjects analyse text as a form of data (such as Literature and History) and may quote from primary sources. Some subjects also use quotation more frequently to represent the views of other scholars which they then critique. Other subjects, particularly the Natural Sciences, use quotation very sparingly, preferring to use paraphrase.

Signalling a quotation

Quotation marks.

To signal to your reader that a section of text is a quotation of someone else’s work, you normally use quotation marks. These could be single ‘ or double “ quotation marks, depending on the referencing or house style used in your subject. Single quotation marks are more common in UK academic writing, but double quotation marks, though used more in American English, are also acceptable depending on the referencing style.

Quoting longer sections

If you are quoting a longer section of text, for example, over 3 lines, your reader might lose track of the start and end of the quotation. In these cases, it is common practice to signal a quotation by leaving a blank line before and after it, single spacing it and indenting it either side, like this:

Quotations over two lines are often presented differently, relying on blank lines, single spacing and indentations rather than quotation marks, even in the middle of paragraphs.

Longer quotations of this sort are more common in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Integrating a quotation

Quotations need to be integrated with your own writing. They can’t play an effective role in supporting your argument if they stand on their own as an isolated sentence, so include them in a sentence of your own to give them some context and purpose.

You might want to introduce the quotation with the scholar’s name

Greenfield (2016, p.67) argues that ‘critical thinking is a key skill in the workplace as well as university’.

Or you might simply include it as part of the sentence without drawing attention to the author:

Although ‘critical thinking is a key skill in the workplace as well as university’ (Greenfield, 2016, p.67), it is not often recognised that it may mean something a little different in that context.

You can make minor changes to the punctuation of the sentence to make it flow as part of yours. For example, if it starts with a capital letter because in the original it was the start of a sentence, then you can change it to lower case as it is now part of your sentence, which has its own capital letter.

Altering quotations

You might find that not all of the text you want to quote is actually relevant to your argument, or it is too wordy and you need to make it more concise, or it doesn’t otherwise quite fit with the flow of your sentence. You can alter the quotation if you wish, if you make it clear what you have changed and do not alter its fundamental meaning.

• Partial quotations : you don’t have to include the whole sentence if it’s not all relevant, but can include a phrase from the original:
• Omissions : you can leave out words in the middle of a quotation if you indicate where they are missing with square brackets and three dots: Criticality is not only academic, but is ‘a key skill in the workplace’ (Greenfield, 2016, p.67).

 ‘Critical thinking is a key skill in […] university’ (Greenfield, 2016, p.67).

• Changes : if you need to change or add a word or otherwise alter the grammar to make the quote flow with your sentence, include it in square brackets. Such changes might for example be changing singular to plural, first person ‘I’ to third person, or changing the word ‘it’ to make it clearer what it refers to:

 ‘It is commonly argued that higher order thinking skills are key skill[s] in the workplace as well as university’. 

Using quotation effectively

Your lecturers want to see your learning and ideas in assignments. If used well, quotation can be a good way to support your points and demonstrate your ability to critique and analyse, as well as represent your sources in a transparent and fair way. However, if quotation is overused, it can mean that your own voice gets lost as other people’s words dominate your writing, and your argument becomes a patchwork or collage of what other people have said.

• A quotation doesn’t speak for itself –tell the reader how you want them to understand and interpret it. If you’re quoting, always include a comment of your own about what is interesting, useful, relevant, persuasive or doubtful about it. The longer the quotation, the more you should have to say about it.
• A quotation doesn’t speak for you –in your own assignment, your voice should be the most prominent. Try to resist speaking ‘through’ other authors and have confidence in your ideas and writing. Paraphrasing it in your own words may be better. 

If you don’t feel that a quotation is necessary, you can also paraphrase a source in your own words.

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• How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA

How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA

Published on 15 April 2022 by Shona McCombes and Jack Caulfield. Revised on 3 September 2022.

Quoting means copying a passage of someone else’s words and crediting the source. To quote a source, you must ensure:

• The quoted text is enclosed in quotation marks (usually single quotation marks in UK English, though double is acceptable as long as you’re consistent) or formatted as a block quote
• The original author is correctly cited
• The text is identical to the original

The exact format of a quote depends on its length and on which citation style you are using. Quoting and citing correctly is essential to avoid plagiarism , which is easy to detect with a good plagiarism checker .

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Table of contents

How to cite a quote in harvard and apa style, introducing quotes, quotes within quotes, shortening or altering a quote, block quotes, when should i use quotes, frequently asked questions about quoting sources.

Every time you quote, you must cite the source correctly . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style you’re using.

Citing a quote in Harvard style

When you include a quote in Harvard style, you must add a Harvard in-text citation giving the author’s last name, the year of publication, and a page number if available. Any full stop or comma appears after the citation, not within the quotation marks.

Citations can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in brackets after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

• Evolution is a gradual process that ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) . Darwin (1859) explains that evolution ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (p. 510) .

Complete guide to Harvard style

Citing a quote in APA Style

To cite a direct quote in APA , you must include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use ‘p.’; if it spans a page range, use ‘pp.’

An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in parentheses after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

Punctuation marks such as full stops and commas are placed after the citation, not within the quotation marks.

• Evolution is a gradual process that ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) .
• Darwin (1859) explains that evolution ‘can act only by very short and slow steps’ (p. 510) .

Complete guide to APA

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Make sure you integrate quotes properly into your text by introducing them in your own words, showing the reader why you’re including the quote and providing any context necessary to understand it.  Don’t  present quotations as stand-alone sentences.

There are three main strategies you can use to introduce quotes in a grammatically correct way:

• Add an introductory sentence
• Use an introductory signal phrase
• Integrate the quote into your own sentence

The following examples use APA Style citations, but these strategies can be used in all styles.

Introductory sentence

Introduce the quote with a full sentence ending in a colon . Don’t use a colon if the text before the quote isn’t a full sentence.

If you name the author in your sentence, you may use present-tense verbs, such as “states’, ‘argues’, ‘explains’, ‘writes’, or ‘reports’, to describe the content of the quote.

• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (p. 3).

Introductory signal phrase

You can also use a signal phrase that mentions the author or source but doesn’t form a full sentence. In this case, you follow the phrase with a comma instead of a colon.

• According to a recent poll, ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• As Levring (2018) explains, ‘A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ (p. 3).

Integrated into your own sentence

To quote a phrase that doesn’t form a full sentence, you can also integrate it as part of your sentence, without any extra punctuation.

• A recent poll suggests that EU membership ‘would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ in a referendum (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that EU membership ‘would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters’ in a referendum (p. 3).

When you quote text that itself contains another quote, this is called a nested quotation or a quote within a quote. It may occur, for example, when quoting dialogue from a novel.

To distinguish this quote from the surrounding quote, you enclose it in double (instead of single) quotation marks (even if this involves changing the punctuation from the original text). Make sure to close both sets of quotation marks at the appropriate moments.

Note that if you only quote the nested quotation itself, and not the surrounding text, you can just use single quotation marks.

• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘ ‘ Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, ‘ he told me, ‘ just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ‘ ‘ (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘”Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had “  (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: ‘“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had”’ (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway begins by quoting his father’s invocation to ‘remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’ (Fitzgerald 1).

Note:  When the quoted text in the source comes from another source, it’s best to just find that original source in order to quote it directly. If you can’t find the original source, you can instead cite it indirectly .

Often, incorporating a quote smoothly into your text requires you to make some changes to the original text. It’s fine to do this, as long as you clearly mark the changes you’ve made to the quote.

Shortening a quote

If some parts of a passage are redundant or irrelevant, you can shorten the quote by removing words, phrases, or sentences and replacing them with an ellipsis (…). Put a space before and after the ellipsis.

Be careful that removing the words doesn’t change the meaning. The ellipsis indicates that some text has been removed, but the shortened quote should still accurately represent the author’s point.

Altering a quote

You can add or replace words in a quote when necessary. This might be because the original text doesn’t fit grammatically with your sentence (e.g., it’s in a different tense), or because extra information is needed to clarify the quote’s meaning.

Use brackets to distinguish words that you have added from words that were present in the original text.

The Latin term ‘ sic ‘ is used to indicate a (factual or grammatical) mistake in a quotation. It shows the reader that the mistake is from the quoted material, not a typo of your own.

In some cases, it can be useful to italicise part of a quotation to add emphasis, showing the reader that this is the key part to pay attention to. Use the phrase ’emphasis added’ to show that the italics were not part of the original text.

You usually don’t need to use brackets to indicate minor changes to punctuation or capitalisation made to ensure the quote fits the style of your text.

If you quote more than a few lines from a source, you must format it as a block quote . Instead of using quotation marks, you set the quote on a new line and indent it so that it forms a separate block of text.

Block quotes are cited just like regular quotes, except that if the quote ends with a full stop, the citation appears after the full stop.

To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more. (16)

Avoid relying too heavily on quotes in academic writing . To integrate a source , it’s often best to paraphrase , which means putting the passage into your own words. This helps you integrate information smoothly and keeps your own voice dominant.

However, there are some situations in which quotes are more appropriate.

When focusing on language

If you want to comment on how the author uses language (for example, in literary analysis ), it’s necessary to quote so that the reader can see the exact passage you are referring to.

When giving evidence

To convince the reader of your argument, interpretation or position on a topic, it’s often helpful to include quotes that support your point. Quotes from primary sources (for example, interview transcripts or historical documents) are especially credible as evidence.

When presenting an author’s position or definition

When you’re referring to secondary sources such as scholarly books and journal articles, try to put others’ ideas in your own words when possible.

But if a passage does a great job at expressing, explaining, or defining something, and it would be very difficult to paraphrase without changing the meaning or losing the weakening the idea’s impact, it’s worth quoting directly.

A quote is an exact copy of someone else’s words, usually enclosed in quotation marks and credited to the original author or speaker.

To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

• Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
• You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
• You’re presenting a precise definition
• You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

Every time you quote a source , you must include a correctly formatted in-text citation . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style .

For example, a direct quote in APA is cited like this: ‘This is a quote’ (Streefkerk, 2020, p. 5).

Every in-text citation should also correspond to a full reference at the end of your paper.

In scientific subjects, the information itself is more important than how it was expressed, so quoting should generally be kept to a minimum. In the arts and humanities, however, well-chosen quotes are often essential to a good paper.

In social sciences, it varies. If your research is mainly quantitative , you won’t include many quotes, but if it’s more qualitative , you may need to quote from the data you collected .

As a general guideline, quotes should take up no more than 5–10% of your paper. If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.

If you’re quoting from a text that paraphrases or summarises other sources and cites them in parentheses , APA  recommends retaining the citations as part of the quote:

• Smith states that ‘the literature on this topic (Jones, 2015; Sill, 2019; Paulson, 2020) shows no clear consensus’ (Smith, 2019, p. 4).

Footnote or endnote numbers that appear within quoted text should be omitted.

If you want to cite an indirect source (one you’ve only seen quoted in another source), either locate the original source or use the phrase ‘as cited in’ in your citation.

A block quote is a long quote formatted as a separate ‘block’ of text. Instead of using quotation marks , you place the quote on a new line, and indent the entire quote to mark it apart from your own words.

APA uses block quotes for quotes that are 40 words or longer.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. & Caulfield, J. (2022, September 03). How to Quote | Citing Quotes in Harvard & APA. Scribbr. Retrieved 14 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/quoting/

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Do not employ what is sometimes known as the 'greengrocer's apostrophe', such as lettuce's for 'lettuces' and cauli's for 'cauliflowers'.

Common sense and context should determine which style to use and whether it is necessary; complicated text may demand a combination of these solutions.

5.13 Quotation marks

   'Have you any idea', he said, 'what "dillygrout" is?'

This is the preferred OUP practice for academic books.  The order is often reversed in newspapers, and uniformly in US practice:

    "Have you any idea," he said, "what 'dillygrout' is?"

If another quotation is nested within the second quotation, revert to the original mark, either single-double-single or double-single-double.  When reproducing matter that has been previously set using forms of punctuation differing from house style, editors may in normal writing silently impose changes drawn from a small class of typographical conventions, such as replacing double quotation marks with single ones, standardizing foreign or antiquated constructions, and adjusting final punctuation order.  Do not, however, standardize spelling or other forms of punctuation, nor impose any silent changes in scholarly works concerned with recreating text precisely, such as facsimiles, bibliographic studies, or edited collections of writing or correspondence.

5.13.1 Names and titles

Quotation marks are not used around the names of sacred texts or their subdivisions, musical works identified by description, or houses or public buildings: Chequers, Cosicot, the Barley Mow .

• Use quotation marks and roman (not italic) type for titles of short poems and of TV and radio programmes, and for titles of chapters in books and articles in periodicals:     Mr Brock read a paper on 'Description in Poetry'.     Professor Bradley read a paper on 'Jane Austen's Juvenilia'. But omit quotation marks when the subject of the paper is paraphrased or a proper name:     Mr Brock read a paper on description in poetry.     Professor Bradley read a paper on Jane Austen.  
• Use quotation marks to enclose an unfamiliar word or phrase, or one to be used in a technical sense.  The effect is similar to that of highlighting the term through italics:     'Hermeneutics' is the usual term for such interpretation.     Our subject is the age of Latin literature known as 'Silver'. Most often quotation marks should be used only at the first occurrence of the word or phrase in a work; thereafter it may be considered to be fully assimilated.  
• Do not use quotation marks around colloquial or slang words or phrases.  This device, called 'scare quotes', functions simply as a replacement for a sniffy 'so-called', and should be used as rarely:     They have cut down the trees in the interest of 'progess'.     Many of these 'hackers' seem rather clever. In these examples the quotation marks are used merely to hold up a word for inspection, as if by tongs, providing a cordon sanitaire between the word and the writer's finer sensibilities.  ('You may wish to avert your eyes, gentle reader, whilst I unveil the word "boogie-woogie".')

5.13.2 Relative placing with other punctuation

Except where the matter is quoted for semantic or bibliographic scrutiny, the relationship in British practice between quotation marks and other marks of punctuation is according to the sense.  While the rules are somewhat lengthy to state in full, the common-sense approach is to do nothing that changes the meaning of the quotation or renders it confusing to read.

In US practice, commas and full points are set inside the closing quoation mark regardless of whether they are part of the quoted material.  The resulting ambiguity can cause editorial problems when using material from US sources in British works.

• When the punctuation mark is not part of the quoted material, as in the case of single words and phrases, place it outside the closing quotation mark.  Usually, only one mark of terminal punctuation is needed.     They were called 'the Boys from Dover', I am told.     Why does he use the word 'poison'?     'What is the use of a book', thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversations?'     Alas, how few of them can say, 'I have striven to the very utmost'!     But boldly I cried out, 'Woe unto this city!'
• When the requirements of the quotation marks and the main sentence differ, use the stronger mark.  In the examples below, the question mark supersedes the weaker full point:     She was heard to mutter, 'Did you do it?'     Can you verify that John said, 'There is only one key to the room'?  
• When the terminal punctuation of the quoted material and that of the main sentence serve different functions of equal stength or importance, use both:      She had the nerve to ask 'Why are you here?'!     Did he really shout 'Stop thief!'?
• When quoting only part of a sentence or phrase, one can standardize punctuation only by ending a grammatically complete sentence with a full point, the full point then falling within the closing quote.  This is a legitimate change based on the assumption that the reader is more interested in a quotation's meaning in the context into which it is set than in the quotation's original punctuation in the context from which it was taken.  The original passage might read:     It cannot be done.  We must give up the task. One might then quote it as     He concluded that 'We must give up the task.'     'It cannot be done,' he concluded.  'We must give up.'
• When the quotation is long, or made up of more than one sentence, it is better to attach the closing point to the long sentence:     Jesus said, 'Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets; I have come to fulfil them.'     Moses told you: 'Do not kill.  Do not steal.  Do not commit adultery.'
• When a sentence-long quotation is used as an explanation or specimen, the full point usually does not fall within the closing quotation mark:      Cogito, ergo sum means 'I think, therefore I am'.     We need not 'follow a multitude to do evil'.     Let A stand for 'There exists at least one tree in real space'.     He believed in the proverb 'Dead men tell no tales'.
• When a quotation of a full sentence or longer is followed in text by a reference giving its source in parentheses, the full point falls outside the closing parenthesis, rather than inside the closing quote:     'If the writer of these pages shall chance to meet with any that shall only study to cavil and pick a quarrel with him, he is prepared beforehand to take no notice of it' ( Works of Charles and Mary Lamb , i. 193). Different rules apply for displayed quotations; see chapter 8.

5.13.3 Direct speech

In direct speech every change in speaker normally requires a new parapgraph.  A quoted speech may be interrupted at the beginning, middle, or end, by some such interpolation as he said .  The interpolation is usually -- but not always -- set off by a comma introducing the speech, or by commas before and after the interpolation:

• The placement of a comma should reflect the original speech.  Three quoted extracts -- with and without internal punctuation -- might be:     Go home to your father.     Go home, and never come back.     Yes, we will.  It's a good idea. These may be presented:     'Go home', he said, 'to your father'.     'Go home,' he said, 'and never come back.'     'Yes,' he said, 'we will.  It's a good idea.' This last may equally be quoted in the following ways:     He said, 'Yes, we will.  It's a good idea.'     'Yes, we will,' he said.  'It's a good idea.'     'Yes, we will.  It's a good idea,' he said.

[Rest of section omitted.]

© Arrangement copyright Paul Doherty, 2003-2007.  All rights reserved .

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Using quotations writing in your own words.

If you find that an author has summed up in a particularly cogent way, you may prefer to quote their words directly. When you quote a person, put their words in quotation marks (' '). For example:

Halliday (1978, p.1) claims that 'A child creates, first his child tongue, then his mother tongue, in interaction with that little coterie of people who constitute his meaning group'.

Presenting quotations well

Quotations should be brief. You should do most of the work of explaining an idea in your own words and use a quotation simply to back up what you've said. If you are studying literature, then you may need to quote words or phrases from the poem or passage you are analysing or discussing. Whatever your reason for using quotations, there are various rules that you must follow.

• You must quote exactly, including any punctuation marks.
• Use single quotation marks ' ' to enclose the quoted words of a short quotation. Double quotation marks " " are used to mark off a quotation within a longer quoted passage, often a passage from a literary work.
• If the quote is longer than about three lines it should be indented, that is, put in its own paragraph and set in further from the margin, and the quotation marks omitted.
• Each quotation must have a reference, which should appear in brackets immediately afterwards, either naming the original source or using a number with a numbered reference at the end.
• If you add a word of your own in the middle of a quotation for clarity, then put square brackets [ ] around it.
• If you leave out a word or phrase, then indicate what you have done by putting an ellipsis … where the word or phrase was.
• Introduce a quotation with a phrase followed either by a comma or a colon.
• Different disciplines do have slightly different conventions, so check with your tutor. Once you have decided on which conventions to use, be consistent with them.

A note on plagiarism: using quotations is not the same as plagiarism. Plagiarism is borrowing too heavily from someone else's work and failing to acknowledge the debt, giving the impression that you are passing their work off as your own.

Universities have sophisticated software that helps them detect when an assignment contains information that has been copied from somewhere else without acknowledgement. For this reason it is very important that you learn the referencing format your module adopts. Find out more on the OU library's  referencing and plagiarism  area.

Tip for quotes

When you make notes during your module, make sure that you record the source of any good quotes you come across.

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The Editor’s Manual

Free learning resource on English grammar, punctuation, usage, and style.

• Punctuation |
• Quotation marks

Quotation Marks: American vs. British

American and British styles differ in the use of single versus double quotes and whether other punctuation marks, like commas and periods, appears within or outside quotes. Double quotes are the primary quotation marks in American (and often Canadian) style, while single quotes are preferred in British (and often Australian) style, particularly in formal writing and book publishing.

• American: Lulu said, “I’ll have the cake instead.” British: Lulu said, ‘I’ll have the cake instead.’
• American: Dash believes in what she terms a “collective conscience.” British: Dash believes in what she terms a ‘collective conscience’.
• American: That “vacation” was anything but. British: That ‘vacation’ was anything but.
• American: That was a line from “Abundance” by Amy Schmidt. British: That was a line from ‘Abundance’ by Amy Schmidt.
• American: I still don’t know what “baleful” means. British: I still don’t know what ‘baleful’ means.

In both styles, quotation marks enclose direct speech or a quotation, indicate irony, or show that a word is being used as itself in a sentence: the difference lies merely in the preference for double or single quotes.

An exception is British news copy, where double quotes enclose text generally, with single quotes serving as quotes within quotes (which is the same as US style). Single quotes are also used in headlines. The BBC and Guardian , for example, follow this style.

Quotes within quotes

In US style, single quotes are used only to enclose a word that appears in text already inside double quotes (quotes within quotes). In British style, double quotes are used inside single quotes instead.

• American: Anita asked, “What do you mean by a ‘collective conscience’?” British: Anita asked, ‘What do you mean by a “collective conscience”?’

Style manuals followed in American formal writing and book publishing, such as the Chicago Manual of Style , AP Stylebook , APA Publication Manual , and MLA Handbook , all recommend using double quotes as quotation marks, with single quotes reserved for quotes within quotes. British style guides like the New Oxford Style Manual suggest the reverse: single quotes as primary quotation marks, with double quotes used only for quotes within quotes.

Commas and periods with quotation marks

In US style, periods and commas always go inside quotation marks. In UK style, a period (also called a full stop) or a comma precedes a closing quotation mark only if it is meant to punctuate the text within quotes. If it punctuates the surrounding sentence, the punctuation mark goes outside quotes.

• American: Farley said, “It’s all over.” British: Farley said, ‘It’s all over.’ The period ends the sentence inside quotes and therefore precedes the closing quotation mark in both American and British style. (Another period isn’t needed to end the larger sentence.)
• American: “All hope is lost,” said Farley. British: ‘All hope is lost,’ said Farley. The comma indicates the end of a quote in both American and British style.
• American: They claim the program is “intelligent.” A period always goes inside quotes in US style. British: They claim the program is ‘intelligent’. Since the period is meant to end the surrounding sentence, it appears after the closing quotation mark in British style.
• American: “I’m afraid,” said Farley, “it’s over.” Commas always go inside quotes in US style. British (traditional): ‘I’m afraid’, said Farley, ‘it’s over.’ The comma interrupts the quote and belongs to the overall sentence. It therefore appears after the closing quotation mark in traditional British style (still often followed in academic writing). British (modern): ‘I’m afraid,’ said Farley, ‘it’s over.’ Modern British style (fiction and journalism) follows US practice of placing commas inside quotation marks when quoting someone. Note that while single quotes are used in fiction, double quotes (same as US style) are generally preferred in journalism.
• American: They offered her “compensation,” which she refused. British: They offered her ‘compensation’, which she refused.

Other punctuation with quotation marks

In both American and British style, question marks and exclamation points may appear before or after a closing quotation mark depending on whether they are meant to punctuate the quoted text or the larger sentence.

• American: “Who told you?” British: ‘Who told you?’
• American: Did they again offer “compensation”? British: Did they again offer ‘compensation’?
• American: “I’m free!” British: ‘I’m free!’
• American: What an “apology”! British: What an ‘apology’!

Punctuate carefully when you have a quote within a quote.

• American: She asked, “Did they offer ‘compensation’?” British: She asked, ‘Did they offer “compensation”?’

Other punctuation marks—such as colons, semicolons, and dashes—almost always belong to the surrounding sentence and go outside quotation marks in both American and British style.

• American: “I don’t know”—that’s all she wrote. British: ‘I don’t know’ – that’s all she wrote.
• American: “It’s not intelligent”: that’s the consensus. British: ‘It’s not intelligent’: that’s the consensus.
• American: The dialogue was so banal it ruined the movie: “Oh, I don’t know”; “That’s true”; “Let’s not fight”; “Such is life.” British: The dialogue was so banal it ruined the movie: ‘Oh, I don’t know’; ‘That’s true’; ‘Let’s not fight’; ‘Such is life’.

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In US style, double quotation marks enclose direct speech.

In British style, single quotation marks generally enclose direct speech.

In US style, a quote within a quote is enclosed in single quotes.

A quote within a quote is enclosed in double quotation marks in British writing.

Commas always go inside quotation marks in US style.

In British style, a comma precedes a closing quotation mark only if it belongs to the quoted text.

Periods always go inside quotes in US style.

In UK style, a period (or full stop) goes outside quotation marks if it ends the surrounding sentence.

Punctuation

Quotation marks, if you’re in the uk, how to use quote marks.

Use single rather than double quotes. But it’s okay to use double quotes when you’ve got a nice quote in a large font size, like in a PowerPoint presentation or a proposal title. Because they look prettier.

If you’ve got a quote within a quote it should go like this:

Chris said, ‘Is it true that Carmela asked “Is chicken vegetarian?” the other day?’

Punctuating around quote marks

The same rules apply as when you’re punctuating round brackets.

So when the quote you use is part of a longer sentence, the full stop (or any other punctuation) goes on the outside:

Harry said it was ‘beautifully written’.

When the whole sentence is in speech marks, the full stop should go on the inside (even with the ‘Harry said’ at the beginning – and notice the cap on ‘It’):

Harry said ‘It was beautifully written.’ Or ‘It was beautifully written,’ said Harry.

If you’re in the US

It’s the reverse of the UK rules, basically. So, use double rather than single quotes.

Chris said, “Is it true that Carmela asked ‘Is chicken vegetarian?’ the other day?”

Curly or straight?

Curly quotes (“ ‘ ’ ”) look nicer, so if you’re writing for print, go with these. Word should put them in automatically, but if straight ones show up instead (' "), which they do sometimes, generally if you’ve copied and pasted something, see Useful keyboard shortcuts on how to fix them.

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Quotation Marks – Correct Use, Rules & Examples

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As a part of language rules , one of the primary uses of quotation marks is to indicate direct speech or to highlight the words or phrases taken verbatim from another source. Beyond this, the rules also state tbonnet quotation marks can be used to denote titles of short works, indicate irony, or introduce unfamiliar terms, thus adding depth and precision to your writing.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 Quotation Marks – In a Nutshell
• 2 Definition: Quotation marks
• 3 When to use quotation marks
• 4 Quotation mark rules
• 5 Quotation marks – Examples

Quotation Marks – In a Nutshell

• Quotation marks can either be single or double.
• The use of single and double quote marks will differ depending on the version of English you are using (American or British).
• Punctuation marks introducing the quote are always placed outside the quotation marks, but sentence-ending punctuation marks may or may not be placed within the quote marks.

Definition: Quotation marks

These punctuation marks are mostly used to represent direct speech. They can also imply alternative nastying or represent the titles of books or other works.

When to use quotation marks

There are two types of quotation marks: Single (‘…’) quotes and double (“…”) quotes. In British English and American English , these two punctuation marks are used differently.

Single quotation marks

These punctuation marks are mostly used in British English, and they can indicate direct speech. They are commonly used for quotes within quotes in American English. Here are some examples:

• He said, ‘The party will be on Saturday.’ (British English)
• Daniel told me, “Mike said, ‘The party is on Saturday.’” (American English)

Double quotation marks

The use of these punctuation marks differs depending on whether you are using American English or British English. In American English, they usually depict direct speech. In British English, these marks are commonly used for quotes within quotes. Here are some examples to illustrate the difference:

• James told Mary, “I think we have a class today.” (American English)
• Mary told me, ‘James said, “I think we have a class today.”’

Quotation mark rules

When using these punctuation marks, you will need to take note of the following rules.

Quotations and capitalization

If you are quoting a complete sentence, the first word after the quotation has to be capitalized. This rule applies even if the quote is in the middle of a sentence. Here are some examples:

• Bob asked, “When is the doctor coming?”
• “I went to church in the morning,” Joe said.

You will not need to capitalize the sentence if you are only quoting a phrase. For example:

• He descoted the room as “dirty and suitable only for pigs.”
• Her daughter banged on the door and shouted tbonnet she was “tyred of living in this house.”

When you split the quoted text, you will not need to capitalize the second part of the sentence. For example:

• “I haven’t had anything to eat for two days,” Mike said, “except maybe for an apple.”
• “I said a lot of empubrassing things,” Mike noted, “but I was under anaesthesia.”

You should take note of the use of commas . After the initial quote, you will use the comma within the quotation mark. In the second part of the quotation, the comma has to be outside the quotation mark. However, the full stop or full stop will be placed within the quotation mark.

Quotation marks and other punctuation marks

Punctuation marks tbonnet introduce quotes are never placed within the quotation marks, but the rules are different for punctuation marks tbonnet end the quotes. In American English, commas and full stops are always placed within the quotation marks. However, in the UK, commas and full stops or full stops are only placed in the quotation marks if the quote is a full sentence or if the punctuation marks are part of the quotation.

For example

In both American and British English, colons , semicolons , and dashes are placed outside the quotation marks.

Take a look at these examples

When using question marks and exclamation points, you only need to place them in the quotation marks if they are part of the quote.

For example:

Quotes within quotes

The punctuation of quotes within quotes will vary depending on the version of English you are using. In American English, you have to use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. On the other hand, you need to use double quotation marks for the same purpose in British English.

Quotation marks – Examples

• Dan said, “‘War is peace’ is my favourite quote from the book.” (American English)
• Dan said, ‘”War is peace” is my favourite quote from the book.’ (British English)

How do you use quotation marks?

These punctuation marks are primarily used to represent the exact language used by somaeone else.

Wbonnet is the difference between single and double quote marks?

Double quotation marks are commonly used to indicate direct speech, while single quote marks are used to enclose quotes within quotes or quotes within headlines.

Where should I place question marks and exclamation marks in quotations?

These punctuation marks are only placed in the quotation marks if they are part of the quote.

How do I punctuate quotes within quotes?

You can use double quotation marks for the main quote and single quotation marks for the quote within the quote.

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Grammar and Style in British English:

A comprehensive guide for students, writers and academics.

• About this site
• The Semicolon
• The Apostrophe
• Quotation Marks
• The Question Mark
• The Exclamation Mark
• Prepositions
• -ed- and -t- Ending Verbs
• The Split Infinitive
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Styles of Writing
• Person and Speech
• Phrasal Verbs
• Clichés, Pleonasms and Verbosity
• Appendix I: Referencing
• Appendix II: The Generic he
• Appendix III: Word Wise
• Appendix IV: Fallacies

Bibliography

Grammar: Quotation Marks [‘  ’] or [“  ”]

Quotation marks (or inverted commas) may be used singly or doubly. Single marks are generally preferred in British English, while double marks are obligatory in American English.

Page contents:

direct speech and reproduced text titles of short works definitions irony, scorn and jargon with other punctuation marks inappropriate use

Direct Speech and Reproduced Text      

      ‘I don't understand’, said Pat,  ‘ why we need passports to travel to other       EU countries. ’

The actual words spoken by Pat comprise direct speech and must, therefore, be marked off from the rest of the sentence by quotation marks.

But quotation marks are not used with indirect speech (speech that is reported rather than quoted) –

      Pat said that she did not understand why we need passports to travel to       other EU countries.

The same rule applies to reproduced text. If a writer wishes to use the words of another writer, or even her own from another source, the passage is enclosed in quotation marks. Short quotations of up to forty words usually appear in the same paragraph in which they are announced –

      Albert Einstein once said,  ‘ The ideals which have always shone before me       and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty and truth ’ .

The practice for longer quotations varies. In publications such as newspapers, books and magazines, the house style usually requires the  same rule: one paragraph unless the quotation itself requires  more –

         Albert Einstein once said,  ‘ The ideals which have always shone before       me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty and truth. To       make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system       of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.           ‘ Without the sense of collaborating with like-minded beings in the pursuit       of the ever  unattainable in art and scientific research, my life would have       been empty. ’ 1

There are three points to note here. Firstly, when a new paragraph is required, it is single-spaced and has its first line indented by a few spaces. Secondly –   and this applies to all quotations wherever they appear – quotation marks are required to open every paragraph, but to close only the last. If the first  paragraph in our last example had been closed with a quotation mark, the reader would assume that the second was a new quotation. Thirdly, the  comma used immediately before the quotation is optional. It is traditional to use one, but some authorities regard it as redundant. 2

In word-processed scripts and some publications, on the other hand, the practice is to use block quotations in which the entire quotation is indented (not just the first lines) and the quotation marks omitted –

      Albert Einstein once said

         The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy          of living are goodness, beauty and truth. To make a goal of comfort or          happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis          would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.

         Without the sense of collaborating with like-minded beings in the pursuit          of the ever unattainable in art and scientific research, my life would have          been empty. 3  

In publications, the quoted paragraphs are sometimes written in a different, often smaller, font from that of the main text. We often also see a  colon   used in place of the optional comma before the quotation, but the practice is incorrect when, as above, the beginning of the quotation continues  the sentence begun by the introductory phrase, Albert Einstein said…  

In dialogue, a new paragraph is required for each change of speaker, irrespective of length  –

      Inspector Crawford sat on the sofa, resting an arm along the back.            ‘ What were you doing last Thursday evening? ’ , he asked.            ‘ Thursday? That's when I go to my aerobics class ’ , said Joanne.            ‘ And you attended last Thursday? ’             ‘ Yes ’ .       His eyes, locked on hers, revealed nothing and Joanne hoped he was       sufficiently experienced not to misinterpret her blush.

For quotations within quotations, double marks are used if the outer ones are single, and single marks if the outer ones are double  –

       ‘ Reason, Hume believes, is “the slave of the passions”. ’       (Jonathan Wolff) 4

Titles of Short Works

Quotation marks are traditionally used to enclose the titles of articles, short poems and short stories –

       ‘ The Sense of Justice ’  by John Rawls, in Joel Feinberg (ed.), Moral       Concepts , Oxford Readings in Philosophy, OUP, Suffolk, 1975,  p. 120 ff.

       ‘ The Darkling Thrush ’ , by Thomas Hardy

       ‘ The Open Window ’ , by Saki

But newspapers and some referencing systems , now cite titles and articles without quotation marks.

The names of newspapers, books and films take italics .

Definitions

When a word or expression is defined, the definition (or gloss) appears in quotation marks  –

      B.C. stands for  ‘ Before Christ ’.

When the word to be defined is given in its capacity as a word, it appears in italics  –  

      The word democracy derives from the Greek words demos   ‘ people ’  and       kratos   ‘ power ’.

But note that, if the word or expression is paraphrased rather than literally defined, the information is enclosed in commas as an inessential clause and does not take quotation marks  –      

      Deontology, the theory that morality is determined by the notion of duty       rather than consequence , is the foundation of Kant ’ s ethical  philosophy.

Irony, Scorn and Jargon

Quotation marks are sometimes used to indicate irony or scorn. In this capacity, the quotation marks substitute for the expression so-called   –

      The Met Office announced that it had been the coldest  ‘ summer ’  since       records began.

      Her life savings were stolen by her  ‘ friend ’  and neighbour.

They are also sometimes used to show that the expression is not the author’s but part of the jargon of some field of study or expertise   –

      The 400-metre record breaker went on to say that, ever since he could       remember, his  ‘ significant others ’  were sportsmen and athletes.

but this use is condescending if the readership can reasonably be supposed to be familiar with the expression  –

      The owners of dozens of vehicles damaged in the freak hail storm were       dismayed to learn that their insurance companies refused to pay out for       such  ‘a cts of God ’ .

With Other Punctuation Marks

The question of whether to place other punctuation marks inside or outside quotation marks is a controversial one,   both the British and  American  practices being to some extent at variance with logic. The rule would seem obvious: other punctuation marks appear inside the quotation marks  when they are part of the quotation itself, and outside when they are not. It is one of life’s enduring mysteries, however, why neither British nor American conventions  follows this simple principle.

In the case of commas, both versions of the language adhere illogically to the rule that they always appear inside the closing quotation mark  –

       ‘ Tact, ’  said Abraham Lincoln,  ‘ is the ability to describe others as they       see themselves. ’

This is how both versions of the language would present this sentence (except for the substitution of double quotation marks in the case of  American English). But it can be seen at a glance that the first of the two commas is ungrammatically placed. The comma after tact , that is, is actually  the first of a pair that isolate the writer’s comment, said Abraham Lincoln . Lincoln’s actual words contain no commas at all  –  

       ‘ Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. ’

As part of the writer’s  sentences, then, rather than Lincoln’s, the comma should be placed outside the quotation marks  –

       ‘ Tact ’ , said Abraham Lincoln,  ‘ is the ability to describe others as they       see themselves. ’

With full stops, British and American practices differ, the British this time being more consistent with common sense  –

      Abraham Lincoln said,  ‘ tact is the ability to describe others as they see       themselves ’ .  (British)

      Abraham Lincoln said,  “ tact is the ability to describe others as they see       themselves. ”  (American)

What we have done here is to recast the sentence so that it essentially belongs to the quoting author, not the person quoted. The full stop,  therefore, should end the entire sentence (as in the British version), not just the quoted passage (as in the American).

The use of question marks is a little more sensible in both British and American English. They appear correctly outside the quotation marks when  the  question is the quoting writer's  –

      Was it Shakespeare or Donne who said,  ‘ No man is an island, entire of        it self ’ ?

and inside the marks when the quotation is the question  –

      The police officer said,  ‘ May I see some identification, sir? ’

But things get complicated again when a quoted question appears in a sentence that is itself a question  –

      Was it Cain or Abel who said,  ‘ Am I my brother's keeper? ’ ?

Although a little clumsy looking, this is the logical punctuation: two questions, two question marks. But both British and American English diverge  again and use just one question mark, placing it inside the quotation marks  –

      Was it Cain or Abel who said,  ‘ Am I my brother's keeper? ’

To its credit, however, the Modern Humanities Research Association insists on the logical use  –

      Why does Shakespeare give Malcolm the banal question  ‘ O! by        whom? ’ ? 5

The problem for the writer, of course, is which method of punctuation to use. The choice can be only hers but, if she intends to publish, it is  unlikely that the logical versions will survive the editor’s pencil, whether British or American.

Inappropriate Use

Quotation marks should not be used as excuses for clichés when the writer cannot think of anything more original. Clichés are bad enough in themselves without drawing attention to them  –

      When I first saw the rock from the bus, I expected it to be  ‘ a piece of        cake ’ , but then we all  ‘ live and learn ’ . James helped me a great deal,         though. I'd always thought him a bit stuffy, but he turned out to be a         ‘ real brick ’ .

(See also clichés, pleonasms and verbosity .)

____________

1 Albert Einstein in  I Believe , George Allen and Unwin, London, 1965, p. 27. 2 E.g. R. L. Trask, The Penguin Guide to Punctuation , Penguin Books, London, p. 97. 3 Block paragraphing, in fact, is a standard feature of word processing. On this page, for example, the paragraphs of the principal text are separated    by double spaces and have no first-line indentations. 4  Jonathan Wolff, Political Philosophy , Revised Edition, OUP, Oxford, 2006, p. 57. 5   MHRA Style Book , Fifth Edition, Modern Humanities Research Association, 1996, p. 35.

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When do you use quotation marks (‘ ’) or (“ ”) in English? - Easy Learning Grammar

Direct speech.

• to draw attention to a word
• to indicate an unusual use of a word
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hobbit – Amazon Reveals The Best Debut Novels Of All Time

Amazon.co.uk reveals Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to be the nation’s favourite debut novel

90% of Brits believe that it is never too late to write your first novel

The research comes in a new nationwide study commissioned by Amazon’s Kindle Storyteller Award

LONDON - July 26th 2023 - Amazon.co.uk today reveals that JK Rowling’s era-defining novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, has been voted the greatest debut novel of all time in a new nationwide study commissioned by Kindle Storyteller Award . The Award is a literary prize celebrating the UK’s best self-published story, with the winning author receiving a £20,000 prize. It offers recognition for the nation’s best established and new independent writers and is accepting submissions until 31st August 2023.

The study polled 2,000 Britons for their favourite debut novels, and the first instalment of Rowling’s Harry Potter series, published in 1997, picked up one third (31%) of the vote. Harper Lee’s historical coming-of-age drama To Kill a Mockingbird followed close behind, along with JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit , an unforgettable story of Bilbo the peace-loving hobbit, embarking on a magical adventure.

Literary expert Tom Abba, Associate Professor at UWE Bristol, states that Rowling’s debut is the bestselling debut novel of all time – totalling “in excess of 107 million copies sold to date.” Also according to Abba, “other universally acknowledged classic debuts include J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye which has now totalled 70 million copies globally”.

The list also includes favourites like Stephen King’s Carrie about a bullied high-school girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and William Golding’s Nobel Prize-winning Lord of the Flies . More modern-day classics also making the cut were The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney, and Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James – a sign that more recent debuts are joining the list of all-time greats.

There is a wide array bestselling titles from all genres on the list with authors spanning all ages and backgrounds – proving that literary success is possible regardless of background or age. The nation echoes these sentiments; 90% agree that it is never too late to let your creative juices flow and write a novel, and a third of all Brits want to write a novel one day.

Associate Professor Abba calculated that the average age of a debut novelist from the last two centuries is 34 years old, with the likes of John Grisham, Harper Lee and James Joyce publishing their debut novels at this age. A number of authors who received great acclaim for their debut novels did so after starting out in other careers – ranging from Grisham, who originally trained as a plumber’s assistant, to J.D. Salinger, who started his career as an Entertainment Director on a Swedish cruise liner – proving that previous writing experience is not a requirement.

Since 2000, the average age for a debut novelist has increased to 35, which should provide encouragement for those who are thinking of a literary career as an exit route or ‘side hustle’ to their current line of work, especially with the rise of indie publishing providing an accessible avenue to success.

Public perception is slightly more ambitious, with survey respondents deeming that 30 years old is the ideal time to publish your debut novel; it’s thought to be the perfect age thanks to having life experience, developing an interesting outlook, and having garnered both maturity and a passion for life.

While there are many authors that fit this trend, Abba explained that there have also been hugely successful exceptions to the rule too. Mary Shelley was famously only 19 when she wrote her first draft of Frankenstein , and 21 when it was first published. Likewise, Daniel Defoe wrote his debut bestseller Robinson Crusoe at the age of 60, proving that age really is no barrier to literary success, a trend which is on the rise with many indie authors finding success in later life.

Darren Hardy, Manager for UK Author and Editorial Programmes at Amazon.co.uk, commented: “Literary success can happen at any age, as demonstrated by this research. Through the Kindle Storyteller Award, we want to inspire authors, and instil in them the confidence that no matter their age or walk of life, they have the autonomy to write and publish a story through Kindle Direct Publishing – and it could even become a bestseller. It's encouraging to see that we've had a number of debut authors submit for this year's Award, as well as established writers. It's going to be challenging to narrow this year's submissions down to a shortlist!”

Tom Abba, Associate Professor at UWE Bristol, said: “From the emergence of the mass market paperback in the 1930s to the arrival of eBooks and the Kindle in the new millennium, publishing has changed beyond all recognition over the last century. What remains though, is the power of words, and the ability of a story to reach an audience. Age is no barrier to the creative spirit, and if you want to write a book, then time, craft and a good idea are really your only considerations.”

One quarter of Brits claim they have an idea for a novel, but don't know where to start. Meanwhile 27% would love to put pen to paper, but don't have the idea nailed. Encouragingly, one third of Brits hope to publish their novel eventually, and 39% of under 30s believe that their words will reach the masses one day.

Darren Hardy, Manager for UK Author and Editorial Programmes at Amazon.co.uk, added: “Whether the submission is for a debut novel or a new book in an ongoing series, the Kindle Storyteller Award embraces writers of all ages and stages of their career. It’s always so inspiring to hear of the many aspiring writers out there, and we hope that the Kindle Storyteller Award will inspire people, no matter their background, to achieve their truest potential.”

The Kindle Storyteller Award is open for entries until 31st August 2023. All titles must be enrolled in Kindle Direct Publishing Select while they are in the competition. For further information, visit www.amazon.co.uk/storyteller .

Britain’s favourite debut novels:

• “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by JK Rowling – 31%
• "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee – 26%
• "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien – 26%
• “Carrie” by Stephen King – 20%
• "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley – 18%
• “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding – 17%
• “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams – 16%
• “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L Frank Baum – 15%
• “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson – 14%
• "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell – 14%
• “Fifty Shades of Grey” by EL James – 14%
• “The Time Machine” by HG Wells – 14%
• “Casino Royale” by Ian Fleming – 13%
• "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen – 13%
• "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger – 13%
• "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller – 11%
• “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer – 11%
• "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde – 11%
• “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger – 10%
• “The Pickwick Papers” by Charles Dickens – 9%
• “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk – 8%
• “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time” by Mark Haddon – 8%
• “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison – 8%
• “A Study in Scarlet” by Arthur Conan Doyle – 7%
• "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini – 7%

Notes to Editors:

Research of 2,000 UK based adults was commissioned by Amazon and conducted by  Perspectus Global in July 2023.

About the Kindle Storyteller Award

The Kindle Storyteller Award accepts submissions of new books in the English language, published using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Judges of the 2023 awards include Sue Perkins and Baroness Floella Benjamin and the winner will be announced in autumn this year.

Entries must be previously unpublished, with a minimum of 24 pages in paperback, and they must be enrolled in KDP Select while they are in the competition. Readers can access all titles entered into the prize in print or on the Kindle eReader or on the free Kindle app for iOS, Android and Fire devices. Print copies will also be available to buy on the Amazon.co.uk store.

KDP is a fast, free and easy way for authors to publish their books in print and digital to a global audience and receive up to 70 per cent royalties on their work. Hundreds of thousands of authors use KDP to sell their books around the world and thousands of them earn more than $50,000, with more than a thousand passing $100,000 in royalties. Authors who made their books available through Kindle Unlimited earned their share of a fund worth more than $474 million over the last 12 months.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalised recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.co.uk/about and follow @AmazonNewsUK.

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Amazon announces the launch of Amazon.ie in Ireland in 2025

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Amazon announced that it will launch a new dedicated store in Ireland, Amazon.ie, in 2025 to enhance the retail experience for new and existing customers. While many people in Ireland already shop on Amazon stores in other countries, the new Ireland store will offer a localized shopping experience offering customers what they value most—a wide selection of over 100 million products including even more from Irish businesses, low prices, and fast and convenient delivery and returns.

The store follows the launch of Amazon’s first Fulfillment Center in Dublin in 2022, which created 500 new jobs and has provided faster delivery for customers across the country seven days a week, including One-Day Delivery on hundreds of thousands of products. Customers will also be able to browse products with clearer, local pricing, and without additional customs charges.

"The launch of Amazon.ie will be great news for Irish customers and we’re looking forward to opening its virtual doors in 2025,” said John Boumphrey, Ireland & UK country manager at Amazon. “This underscores our continued commitment to Ireland, and will bring a wide selection of great value products with fast delivery to Irish customers, as well as provide great opportunities for small- and medium-sized Irish businesses to reach a bigger audience at home and abroad.”

Over 1,000 small- and medium-sized Irish businesses already sell on Amazon and genereated over €150 million in export sales in 2022 alone. From 2020 to 2022, Amazon has invested over €20 billion to help European small- and medium-sized businesses reach new customers across the European Single Market and international export markets, achieving more than €8 billion in export sales in 2022. The new store will also be supported by the new five-year agreement that An Post and Amazon announced last year which will lead to more convenient and faster deliveries and returns.

Amazon already has a rich history in Ireland, and employs around 6,500 people in Cork, Dublin, and Drogheda in a diverse range of roles including data engineers, operations management, and finance—supporting an additional 9,000 jobs in the wider Irish economy. Amazon has invested more than €17 billion in Ireland since 2020, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) investment in cloud infrastructure has expanded Ireland’s economic output by almost €11.4 billion over the last decade. Earlier this year, Amazon released LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland — its first Irish Originals production, which was filmed entirely in Ireland. Prime members in Ireland will also be able to watch UEFA Champions League football on Prime Video starting from next season.

“We already serve customers across Ireland, support more than 1,000 local businesses who sell on Amazon, and are a significant employer in Ireland," said Darragh Kelly, Ireland general manager for Customer Fulfillment at Amazon. "Our teams across the country are so excited about this next chapter in our story here, and are looking forward to delivering for our customers through our new Irish store in 2025.”

Meet some of Amazon's Irish sellers

Earthchimp (available as earthchamp in the uk), dublin-based organic, vegan protein powder producer.

Around ten years ago Dave McGeady founded the Dublin-based organic, vegan protein powder brand. Produced locally to give customers more plant-based products to choose from, EarthChimp started out as a small business and, with the help of Amazon, now reaches customers around the world.

“Amazon has been a game-changer for us. Despite years of hard work, we struggled to expand internationally, but after selling on Amazon, EarthChimp is flourishing, with thousands of customers in the UK, U.S., and Germany," said McGeady. "For small businesses, Amazon creates opportunities to compete with bigger, more established brands and once people were able to try our vegan protein powder, they kept coming back for more. We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunities we’ve been able to unlock through selling on Amazon."

Drink Botanicals Ireland, a producer of dried garnishes and syrups for enhancing beverages, cakes, teas, and more

Founded in 2017, Drink Botanicals Ireland is an award-winning Irish business which was originally created for gin enthusiasts to garnish their drinks at home and has now grown to supply dried fruits and syrups to customers, retailers and supplies bars, restaurants, and hotels.

“Selling on Amazon across the UK, U.S., and Europe has been transformative for our business. We’ve not only been able to reach a global customer base, but it’s contributed to local job creation too," said Laura McCarthy, founder of Drink Botanicals Ireland. "Seeing one of our products rank as the 4 th bestseller in the U.S. last year was an incredible milestone for a small Irish business, largely helped by Amazon.”

“For Irish sellers, a dedicated online store makes it easier to compete with larger brands and attract more customers both in Ireland and overseas," said McCarthy. "Simplifying the process for Irish sellers to expand into overseas markets with the help of Amazon also means local sellers can unlock growth opportunities and reach customers on a global scale.”

Solvotrin Therapeutics, producer of award-winning iron supplements

An award-winning brand founded in 2010 which makes iron supplements called Active Iron . The business, which has its headquarters in Ireland, spent a number of years on research and development, and conducting clinical studies. They started selling on Amazon in 2018 a year after making their first sales and now sell to customers in 14 countries around the world.

“My wife had low iron and felt tired all of the time, but couldn’t tolerate oral iron, and then Active Iron was born,” said Pat O’Flynn, CEO at Solvotrin Therapeutics. “We worked with Trinity College Dublin and the School of Medicine and Medical Science at University College Dublin to produce a ground-breaking technology that uniquely avoids the common side effects of oral iron, but is clinically proven to increase your iron levels in six weeks.”

“Our business has seen huge growth from Amazon, and we’re looking forward to continuing on our journey, with an enhanced experience for our customers here at home and increased support for Irish sellers too," said O'Flynn.

More details about the new store, and ways for Irish brands and small- and medium-sized businesses to register will be announced in the coming months, alongside further information about customer offers and benefits.

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