WRITING MANUAL - Supreme Court - State of Ohio

WHERE TO PLACE QUOTATION MARKS (CONT.)
The court gave the following examples for the use of the word “shall”: “(1)
* * *.”
10.3. Punctuation and Capitalization of Quotations.
After an introductory phrase such as the statute provides, we held, and the court said, use
a comma or a colon and begin the quotation with an uppercase letter. If the quoted
material begins with a lowercase letter, change it to upper case and indicate the change
with brackets.
When a quotation is introduced with that, as in phrases such as we held that and the rule
provides that, use no comma and begin the quotation with a lowercase letter. If the quote
begins with a capital letter, change it to lower case and indicate the change with brackets.
HOW TO PUNCTUATE QUOTATIONS
“No person,” the statute commands, “shall spit on the sidewalk.”
The statute states that “[n]o person shall spit on the sidewalk.”
The statute continues, “The director shall promulgate rules.”
The statute says that “[t]he director shall promulgate rules.”
“Moreover,” he said, “the contract was drafted by a pettifogger.”
He said that “the contract was drafted by a pettifogger.”
He said, “[T]he contract was drafted by a pettifogger.”
The Supreme Court of Ohio 98 Writing Manual