Punctuation

A simple principle applies for what seems like a thorny issue: Nest punctuation that appears within punctuation by alternating punctuation marks to disambiguate–in this case, between double and single quotation marks.

One Level of Nesting

The most common reason for nesting punctuation is shown in section 1.3.7 of the MLA Handbook (p. 87): when you need to present a quotation within a quotation, use double quotation marks around the quotation incorporated into your text and single quotation marks around the quotation within that quotation:

In “Memories of West Street and Lepke,” Robert Lowell, a conscientious objector (or “C.O.”), recounts meeting a Jehovah’s Witness in prison: “‘Are you a C.O.?’ I asked a fellow jailbird. / ‘No,’ he answered, ‘I’m a J.W.’” (38-39).

Two Levels of Nesting

If the quotation enclosed in single marks also contains material–whether another quotation or the title of a work–that needs to be set off with quotation marks, use double quotation marks around that material. The pattern is double, single, double quotation marks. In other words, nest punctuation within punctuation and alternate to disambiguate:

“[Mr. Lawson] called out the name [Gogol] in a perfectly reasonable way, without pause, without doubt, without a suppressed smile, just as he had called out Brian and Erica and Tom. And then: ‘Well, we’re going to have to read “The Overcoat.” Either that or “The Nose”’” (Lahiri 89).
Work Cited

Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. Mariner Books, 2004.

In AmE, the outermost quotation mark is a double. So for dialogue, the spoken text opens and closes with double quotation marks. The first nested quote would then be inside single quotation marks, and a quote within that quote would be in doubles. This alternating between doubles and singles would go on as far as the nested quotations go. (To keep from driving readers mad, limit your nested quotations to three levels.)

“I’m telling you that the boy said, ‘I saw a body.’ ”

“ ‘But I didn’t do it,’ he said to me over and over.”

“Her favorite song is ‘Rainy Days and Mondays.’ ”

“I heard her. She said, ‘My little brother’s first word was “boondoogle.” ’ ”

In British English—although typically not in newspapers—the outer quotation marks are usually singles and therefore the first quote nested inside would be a double.

‘I’m telling you that the boy said, “I saw a body.” ’

‘ “But I didn’t do it,” he said to me over and over.’

‘Her favorite song is “Rainy Days and Mondays.” ’

‘I heard her. She said, “My little brother’s first word was ‘boondoogle.’ ” ’