引号

1．引号可用在直接引语的两头，可以是双引号“…”（美式），也可以是单引号‘…’（英式）：

He said，“I will do it．”

His question is “What can we do？”

—可以放在某人讲话的重要部分的两头：

He can put down the revolt“in three days”．

He decides to“settle accounts”with his antagonist．

—但不可用在间接引语的两头：

He asked whether he could do it．

His question is what we can do．

—也不可用在半直接引语的两头：

He asked，Could he do it？

His question was（or，What puzzled him was，He thought to himself），Could he say anything against it？

—不可用在剧本台词的两头：

John：Can I do it？

Mary：Certainly you can．

2．注意直接引语被分成两段时，引号及其他标点的用法：

He said，“I know that she is right．”＝“I know，”he said，“that she is right．”

He said，“I know；she is right，”＝“I know，”he said；

“she is right．”

He said，“I know．She is right．”＝“I know，”he said．

“She is right．

“I know．”He nodded his head．“She is right．”

3．注意句号和逗号都放在末尾引号的前面，而不是后面：

“If I can，”he said，“I will do it．”

—和句号、逗号不同，分号通常放在引号的后面，冒号也如此：

He thought over the matter，and then he said，“Let us wait and see”；but he ordered his men to act the same night．

—如果句号和逗号不属于所引用的词，而属于整个句子，则应当放在引号外面：

We don't know who is“right”，and who is“wrong”．

（不过在美国用法中，常把逗号和句号放在引号前面，如“right，”及“wrong．”）

They call him“patriot”，but we call hum “fanatic”．

—如果问号属于引述的问句，它应放在引号之内：

He asked，“Shall we go this way？”

—如果问号不属于引用的话，则应放在引号之外：

Did he say，“I will leave very soon”？

—惊叹号亦如此：

He exclaimed，“What a fool I am！”

What a fool of him to say．“Even my little finger is more powerful than anything of yours”！

4．如果摘引三段或更多的文章（或诗歌），必须注意缩行（即每行第一个词要向后缩）。引号只用在每一段的前面，只是最后一段引文末尾要加引号，但引号也可完全省略，如果是诗，要按原来形式排列：

Tell me not in mournful numbers

That life is but a dream．

5．如果引语内还包含一个引语，整个引语用单引号，里面的引语用双引号（英国用法）：

John said，‘I told him“to look before he leaps”．’

6．谚语、引语、俚语等都可放在引号之内：

“A wise man thinks all that he says，a fool says all that he thinks．”

He is“a saint abroad，a devil at home”．

Dick is“on the rocks”．

He has a mental“inertia”．

He likes to eat“chow mein”（炒面）．

—大家熟知的成语不必加引号：

Last but not least，do come tomorrow．

7．不肯定或讥讽的话可加引号：

He is very“glad”to see me．

He is a“good man”in this village．

8．值得特别注意的词可加上引号：

Something“in”mind is different from something“on” mind．

To“do”is easy，but to“understand”is hard．

9．章节、文章、短篇小说或诗歌的题目可以加引号：

“Introduction”，“Inside Story of Iran”，“Mademoiselle Fifi”，“Ode to a nightingale”，“Home，Sweet Home”．

—但书名、报刊杂志名、长诗、剧本、歌剧、雕像、绘画、电影等的名称宜于用斜体，如The Origin of Species，The New York Times，Newsweak，Iliad，Hamlet，Madame Butterfly，The Thinker，Pines and Rocks，The Great Dictator

10．船名、飞机及火车名等可以加引号，也可用斜体：

the“Empress”（or the Empress）， the“Super Chief”（or the Super Chief）

11．按美国用法，外面用双引号，里面用单引号：

John said“I told him to‘look before he leaps．’but he didn't listsn．”