Editing Quotation marks in English (section)

=== Primary quotations versus secondary quotations ===
''Primary quotations'' are [[Orthography|orthographically]] distinguished from ''secondary quotations'' that may be nested within a primary quotation. British English often uses single quotation marks to identify the outermost text of a primary quotation versus double quotation marks for inner, nested quotations. By contrast, American English typically uses double quotation marks to identify the outermost text of a primary quotation versus single quotation marks for inner, nested quotations.

British usage does vary, with some authoritative sources such as ''[[The Economist]]'' and ''[[The Times]]'' recommending the same usage as in the US,<ref>"American and British English". ''The Economist Style Guide'' (Fourth ed.). London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd. 1996. p. 85. {{ISBN|0241135567}}. Tim Austin, Richard Dixon (2003) ''The Times Style and Usage Guide''. London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|0007145055}}</ref> whereas other authoritative sources, such as ''[[The King's English]]'', ''[[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage|Fowler's]]'', and ''[[Hart's Rules|New Hart's Rules]]'', recommend single quotation marks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/116/406.html |title=Quotation Marks. Fowler, H. W. 1908. The King's English |work=Bartleby.com |access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> In journals and newspapers, quotation mark double/single use often depends on the individual publication's [[Style guide|house style]].