{"id":11436,"date":"2014-09-09T16:25:49","date_gmt":"2014-09-09T20:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/?p=11436"},"modified":"2014-09-10T09:04:04","modified_gmt":"2014-09-10T13:04:04","slug":"abusing-quotation-marks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/abusing-quotation-marks\/","title":{"rendered":"Abusing quotation marks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_11436\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"11436\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p><a title=\"Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks\" href=\"http:\/\/www.unnecessaryquotes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-KvS7rOG6d34\/U-1is0pf35I\/AAAAAAAAVbc\/1sIfr6d7CBc\/s1600\/chicken.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a><strong>What goes through your mind when you see words in a paragraph or a sentence surrounded by quotation marks? <\/strong>Like that sign in the image on your left?\u00a0That they are words excerpted from conversations or written content? Or that they are special; peculiar words, or perhaps used ironically, sarcastically or in jest?<\/p>\n<p>Take these examples from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unnecessaryquotes.com\">&#8220;Blog&#8221; of Unnecessary Quotation Marks<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Chicken&#8221; pot pies $5.99<\/li>\n<li>Please open the door &#8220;slowly&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Push&#8221; the last channel button.<\/li>\n<li>No &#8220;Free&#8221; refills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It makes you wonder, doesn&#8217;t it? What is in the pie that isn&#8217;t &#8220;chicken&#8221; but we&#8217;ll pretend it is? Try reading them aloud and putting air quotes around those words. Ah, now you get it. &#8220;Slowly&#8221; means open the door really quickly, right?<\/p>\n<p>Words in quotation marks tell the reader not to take them seriously or literally. They&#8217;re telling you that what&#8217;s between the quotation marks isn&#8217;t what&#8217;s in the pie. That you really need to pull the button not push it as was sarcastically suggested. They usually mean the opposite of the word within the quote marks.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"http:\/\/news.distractify.com\/people\/the-30-most-unnecessary-uses-of-quotation-marks-in-history\/\">Distractify<\/a> notes, quotation marks around words make people suspicious. That sign that says Professional &#8220;Massage&#8221; makes people go nudge-nudge, wink-wink. One that just reads Professional Massage doesn&#8217;t raise an eyebrow. I&#8217;ll eat fresh sushi, but stay far away when it&#8217;s advertised as &#8220;fresh&#8221; sushi.<\/p>\n<p>So what about the sign that offers &#8220;Beer&#8221; for sale? Is that &#8220;beer&#8221; just coloured water? Pop? Or a vodka cooler? And you have to ask how used that &#8220;new&#8221; underwear really is before you buy it. Those quote marks just beg you to ask questions.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Buzzfeed\" href=\"&lt;img%20src=&quot;http:\/\/s3-ec.buzzfed.com\/static\/enhanced\/webdr06\/2013\/5\/2\/13\/enhanced-buzz-23487-1367516836-16.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buzzfeed&quot; \/&gt;\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/s3-ec.buzzfed.com\/static\/enhanced\/webdr06\/2013\/5\/2\/13\/enhanced-buzz-23487-1367516836-16.jpg\" alt=\"Buzzfeed\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a>Mis-using quotation marks for emphasis is a fairly common form of grammatical abuse. The irony deepens when abusers don&#8217;t realize others treat the words in quotation marks as sarcastic or ironic. But the readers will see it thus and treat the content rather differently than intended. As in meaning something opposite to what is implied by the words themselves. Like that professional &#8220;massage&#8221; &#8211; nudge, nudge&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/copyranter\/unnecessary-quotation-marks-harmful-to-your-health#ie71sb\">Buzzfeed<\/a> offers more examples of quotation mark abuse. You may laugh at most\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0except the one selling guns as tools of &#8220;freedom&#8221; which is a bit scary, given the crazy gun culture in the USA. And that &#8220;sushi&#8221; &#8211; you have to ask yourself what it really is. Would you eat it?<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2009\/10\/22\/7-awesome-examples-of-unn_n_330321.html\">Huffpost gives this example<\/a> of abused quotation marks. &#8220;Quality&#8221; installations suggests the opposite and hard-boiled &#8220;eggs&#8221;\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0Nudge-nudge, wink-wink\u00a0&#8211; are really potatoes&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>And as you might expect, there&#8217;s even <a title=\"Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Unnecessary-Quotation-Marks\/128441210567794\" target=\"_blank\">a Facebook page<\/a> where you can list your latest\u00a0examples of &#8220;unnecessary&#8221; quotation marks. Like this one&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net\/safe_image.php?d=AQDCV5OnO-FWYQ6W&amp;w=484&amp;h=253&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-VAEpNw8Wo7U%2FU8wjqJX3A2I%2FAAAAAAAAVTc%2FdTjegOnieTc%2Fs1600%2Fconfidential.jpg&amp;cfs=1\" alt=\"Facebook image\" \/><br \/>\nThese are not the confidential files you are looking for&#8230;. nyuck, nycuk, nyuck&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"The Guardian\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/shortcuts\/2012\/feb\/12\/incorrect-quotation-marks-blog\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/static.guim.co.uk\/sys-images\/Admin\/BkFill\/Default_image_group\/2012\/2\/10\/1328896276621\/cheese-burgers-sign-on-sm-007.jpg\" alt=\"Bad quotation marks\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Irony_punctuation#Scare_quotes\">Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0(and many manuals of usage) calls these scare quotes. Note the definition (emphasis added)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Scare quotes are a particular use of quotation marks. <strong>They are placed around a word or phrase to indicate that it is not used in the fashion that the writer would personally use it.<\/strong> In contrast to the nominal typographic purpose of quotation marks, the enclosed words are not necessarily quoted from another source. When read aloud, various techniques are used to convey the sense, such as prepending the addition of &#8220;so-called&#8221; or a similar word or phrase of disdain, using a sarcastic or mocking tone, or using air quotes, or any combination of the above.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In conversation, you&#8217;d likely <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyediting.com\/you-can-stop-quotation-mark-abuse\">put air quotes<\/a> around these words. As <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyediting.com\/you-can-stop-quotation-mark-abuse\">Copyediting.com<\/a> notes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Quotation marks are rightly used to signal spoken or quoted words. They can also be used to signal the ironic use of terms, sayings, slang or significant words or phrases, according to Editing Canadian English. [ECE, 5.27] In writing, such quotation marks are sometimes called \u201cscare quotes.\u201d Air quotes (that obnoxious hand signal) are what you would do to signify this when speaking to a friend.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a title=\"Smosh\" href=\"http:\/\/www.smosh.com\/smosh-pit\/photos\/20-quotation-mark-fails\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/legacy-cdn.smosh.com\/smosh-pit\/012011\/quotation-mark-security-guard.jpg\" alt=\"Abused quotation marks\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macmillandictionaryblog.com\/the-emphatic-use-of-quotation-marks\">MacMillan Dictionary<\/a> has this to say about scare quotes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Oxford Manual of Style says scare quotes may serve \u2018to hold up a word for inspection, as if by tongs, providing a cordon sanitaire between the word and the writer\u2019s finer sensibilities\u2019. It\u2019s a technique that quickly wears thin, so style guides sometimes caution against its excessive use. And there\u2019s a related problem: non-standard emphasis.<br \/>\nSometimes people use quotation marks to stress a word or phrase, and this clashes with the general understanding of how the marks \u2013 and scare quotes \u2013 are properly used. In a comment to my recent article on the use of apostrophes, Kristen said she found this habit troublesome, offering the example \u2018fresh\u2019 fish, which inadvertently casts doubt on the freshness of the fish \u2013 the very opposite impression to what\u2019s intended.<br \/>\nIf you saw a window sign for \u2018homemade\u2019 stew or a label promising \u2018delicious\u2019 waffles, would the punctuation affect how you imagine the food? What about a cosmetic product that\u2019s \u2018good\u2019 for your hair, or a claim that a service is \u2018free\u2019? Are you feeling trustful?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sure, my canned soup is &#8220;homemade.&#8221; And my frozen pizza is &#8220;delicious.&#8221; See my hands making those air-quote gestures? Maybe I need a video&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>[youtube=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=s_cAS-mvV20]<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Smosh\" href=\"http:\/\/www.smosh.com\/smosh-pit\/photos\/20-quotation-mark-fails\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/legacy-cdn.smosh.com\/smosh-pit\/012011\/quotation-mark-bread.jpg\" alt=\"if it's not bread what is it?\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a>When you see a sign saying &#8220;You&#8217;re in&#8221; Bear Country, do you think it&#8217;s meant as\u00a0<a title=\"Bad quotes\" href=\"http:\/\/www.juvalamu.com\/qmarks\/#current\" target=\"_blank\">a pun on urine<\/a>? Conversely if it said I was in &#8220;Bear&#8221; country I wouldn&#8217;t expect to see an ursine anywhere. Does a food item labelled &#8220;real&#8221; bacon make you doubt its authenticity (I bet &#8220;real&#8221; bacon is probably tofu&#8230;)? If it&#8217;s not bread in those day-old bags, what is it really?<\/p>\n<p>More amusing examples of quotation mark failures are\u00a0<a title=\"Flickriver\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickriver.com\/groups\/quoteabuse\/pool\/interesting\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>\u00a0and <a title=\"Amusing quotations\" href=\"http:\/\/www.smosh.com\/smosh-pit\/photos\/very-suspicious-quotation-marks\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. The Net is replete with them. As it is with advice on how to use quotation marks properly and not have your sign end up on a Facebook or Flickr page for people to belittle.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Games with Words\" href=\"http:\/\/gameswithwords.fieldofscience.com\/2012\/10\/the-toughest-cop-alive.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/s3-ec.buzzfed.com\/static\/enhanced\/web04\/2012\/10\/17\/9\/enhanced-buzz-8455-1350481981-2.jpg\" alt=\"More quotation abuse\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a><a title=\"Ragan's PR Daily\" href=\"http:\/\/www.prdaily.com\/writingandediting\/Articles\/Everything_you_need_to_know_about_the_quotation_ma_7702.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Ragan&#8217;s PR Daily<\/a> has this advice about quotation marks:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In general, lay off the quotation marks when writing your own irony or humor. Quotation marks distance the writer from their words&#8230;<br \/>\nResist the urge to use quotation marks for any reason besides the ones listed, or you\u2019ll wind up referring to a former employee\u2019s \u201cretirement\u201d years. This misuse appeared in a corporate article and made me question my understanding of retirement.<br \/>\nOr perhaps you\u2019ll write an otherwise strong human interest story about an accident victim, who needed help with \u201ceverything\u201d (the author\u2019s quotation marks, not mine). There are a lot of things in everything \u2026<br \/>\nLess is more, said Keeley. \u201cMy advice to people in terms of punctuation and diction is to think, \u2018Do I actually need this, or am I throwing more things on the page?\u2019\u201d<br \/>\nIf one judges by CEO letters, it would seem that particular practical thought doesn\u2019t occur to some executives. For instance, there\u2019s the airport chief with a penchant for enclosing the words belief and strategic plan with quotation marks.<br \/>\nMy favorite is a consulting firm\u2019s CEO who insists disabled employees are more loyal and less likely to \u201cjump ship.\u201d Again, his quotation marks, not mine.<br \/>\nEmployees understand the meaning of \u201cjump ship\u201d and they won\u2019t mistake the term for its actual meaning\u2014unless this firm\u2019s headquarters is at sea. Then there might be a problem.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a title=\"Messy Matters\" href=\"http:\/\/messymatters.com\/scarequotes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Messy Matters<\/a> adds this about scare quotes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>I don\u2019t mean this literally.<\/strong> You can use scare quotes when something is not the right word or phrase. Of course what I really mean by \u201cnot the right word\u201d is that it simultaneously is and isn\u2019t the right word. E.g., \u201cthe player then \u2018wins\u2019 with a loss of $100\u201d (they technically won but really they lost). Or if the word is accurate only loosely by analogy, e.g., \u201cthe program bids \u2018spitefully\u2019\u201d (there\u2019s a tit-for-tat aspect to its bidding but, being a computer, it doesn\u2019t actually have spite). Wrapping something in scare quotes is like adding a parenthetical \u201cnot really\u201d. It should be done sparingly; typically only when the nonliteral usage might be confusing if not \u201ccalled out\u201d.<br \/>\nP.S. If the quotation marks in the last sentence were like fingernails on a blackboard to you then you didn\u2019t need to read any of this. And, ironically, you\u2019re likely the only one who didn\u2019t find this all a painfully pedantic waste of time!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a title=\"Janice Heck\" href=\"http:\/\/janiceheck.wordpress.com\/tag\/grammar-girl-on-scare-quotes\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/janiceheck.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/10\/scare-quote-2.jpg\" alt=\"Scare Quote\" width=\"300\" \/><\/a>And the <a title=\"Great Writing Blog\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.greatwriting.com\/2013\/09\/stop-quotation-mark-abuse.html\" target=\"_blank\">Great Writing Blog<\/a> offers this advice:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Quotes are not for emphasis. Underline it, bold it, italicize it, use ***9 million asterisks***, but please don\u2019t put quotes around it. Quotes don\u2019t add emphasis. It\u2019s just not one of their functions as punctuation. (Unless we\u2019re talking about the title of a short work like a poem or article, but that&#8217;s not so much emphasis as correct form.) Drawing attention to a word in this way makes you look snarky when you\u2019re trying to look serious, so you\u2019re shooting yourself in the foot.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Quotes don&#8217;t add emphasis.<\/strong> Got that? Sums it all up nicely. So what do you think about the words in quotations in this sentence:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The harmonious interaction between &#8220;Administration&#8221; and the &#8220;Executive Board&#8221; (town council) sets the tone for the Corporation&#8217;s success.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hmm. Do they\u00a0mean something entirely opposite, like &#8220;fresh&#8221; and &#8220;chicken&#8221; and &#8220;massage&#8221; in the signs above? Do the quotation marks make you cast doubt on the meaning of the words? Make you think they&#8217;re nudge-nudge-wink-wink words? Just imagine them being said with air quotes&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Ragan's PR Daily\" href=\"http:\/\/www.prdaily.com\/writingandediting\/Articles\/Everything_you_need_to_know_about_the_quotation_ma_7702.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.prdaily.com\/Uploads\/Public\/Images\/dr-evil-air-quotes.gif\" alt=\"Air quotes\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_11436\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"11436\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>What goes through your mind when you see words in a paragraph or a sentence surrounded by quotation marks? Like that sign in the image on your left?\u00a0That they are words excerpted from conversations or written content? Or that they are special; peculiar words, or perhaps used ironically, sarcastically or in jest? Take these examples from the &#8220;Blog&#8221; of Unnecessary Quotation Marks: &#8220;Chicken&#8221; pot pies $5.99 Please open the door &#8220;slowly&#8221; &#8220;Push&#8221; the last channel button. No &#8220;Free&#8221; refills It makes you wonder, doesn&#8217;t it? What is in the pie that isn&#8217;t &#8220;chicken&#8221; but we&#8217;ll pretend it is? Try reading \u2026&#8230;&#8230; click below for more \u2193<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[222,73,69,445],"tags":[294,504,75,82,503],"class_list":["post-11436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-humour","category-language-grammar","category-internet-memes","category-style-usage","tag-english","tag-irony","tag-language","tag-punctuation","tag-quotation-marks"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":16890,"today_views":1},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11436"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11460,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11436\/revisions\/11460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}