The Editor’s Manual
Free learning resource on English grammar, punctuation, usage, and style.
Place quotation marks around direct speech or a quotation. Quotes may also enclose a word or a phrase used ironically or as itself. Quotation marks set off titles of shorter works (like a chapter, article, or poem).
Smart (or curly) quotes are paired quotation marks that curve toward the text they enclose, indicating clearly whether they start or end a quote. Straight quotes are nondirectional.