Unnecessary Quotation Marks
November 3, 2010 
Author 
In Unnecessary quotation marks are everywhere. The other week while traveling, I couldn’t help but notice the following sign and had to snap a shot to highlight the absurdity of it:
Why does wireless Internet need quotes? It doesn’t. And that’s the point.
Likely those involved in marketing and PR for a living can’t help but notice this stuff. But even if you’re not in communications once you start seeing it, you really can’t stop.
This is not an isolated issue, there is an entire blog devoted to the phenomenon: the “Blog” of “Unnecessary” quotation marks. Some recent gems from the site include:
Not to be confused with the flying variety
Well that helps clarify what day of the week they’re talking about
I’m afraid to think of what they mean by fresh
Because without the quotes, this would just be confusing
So they “say”…
Why should we care? As Seth Godin succinctly pointed out last year (but it bears repeating):
When I get a manuscript or see a sign that misuses its and it’s and quotes, I immediately assume that the person who created it is stupid.
I understand that this is a mistake on my part. They’re not necessarily totally stupid, they’re just stupid about apostrophes.
It’s a moral failing on my part to conflate the two, but I bet I’m not the only one. What else are your customers judging you on?
It’s not just about being a grammar stickler. The fact is, we’re constantly looking for clues and telling ourselves stories based on limited information. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.
the Ramen Noodle replied | Nov 3, 2010 (2 comments)
I love the “Made ‘fresh’”! It’s like saying, “It’s not really fresh, but we like to pretend it is.”
For a while, a local broadband ISP had a state map and told people, “‘Click’ on your area of the map.”
“Wow.” Some “people” are, “like,” stupid or “something.”
Josh Braaten replied | Nov 3, 2010 (32 comments)
Nice “blog post,” Adam :)
One thing that I’ve always been sensitive to is the difference between Central and Standard time. People should be saying 4pm CDT or CST but somehow most people just use CST. I give extra credit to people that use them appropriately. Keep that in mind as we “fall back” this weekend.
the Ramen Noodle replied | Nov 3, 2010 (2 comments)
YES! To me, that instantly shows the the writer didn’t think enough about their timezones. Unfortunately, most people don’t know “CDT” (or “PDT,” “EDT,” and such), so the best option is to drop the Standard/Daylight abbreviation: 4 p.m. ET.
I also like to give props to people who get the timezone and daylight saving time thing right.
Nicholas Cardot replied | Nov 3, 2010 (1 comment)
I was going to come up with a clever way to misuse quotes in my comment but it looks like Josh Braaten beat me to it. I feel the same way about this that Seth Godin feels. When I see it, I think to myself that the person writing the material must be ignorant and I wonder what other areas they are ignorant about.
Of course, as I write this, I’m looking back over my comment with almost certainty that I’m probably butchering the English language in some way that I’m not noticing thereby negating my entire opinion on the issue. Oh well. Maybe I just need some more edumucation as well. ;)
Josh Braaten replied | Nov 3, 2010 (32 comments)
You gotta be quick, Nick!
Catherine Lockey replied | Nov 3, 2010 (63 comments)
“hahahhaha” (so they say)
Phiiip Meyer replied | Nov 3, 2010 (1 comment)
Rudolf Flesch, in “The Art of Readable Writing” (1949), reported that some semanticists advise using quotes “whenever you want the reader to beware of a certain word.” I call these “nervous quotes” because it looks like the writer is not sure of his or her word choice or is just using them as a nervous habit. When I was teaching, my advice to students was never to use quotes without identifying whom or what you are quoting.
Charles Bohannan replied | Nov 3, 2010 (1 comment)
Unnecessary quotes totally bug! I was coming up the beach yesterday to shower off and saw a sign that read ‘Beware of “Falling Coconuts”‘. I wanted to snap a pic but didn’t have my camera.
Then I came home and read this post!
Patrick from Make Money Buzz replied | Nov 3, 2010 (3 comments)
I think what the quotation marks do is emphasize the keywords they are trying to get across. I think most people read over it and don’t notice but subconsciously that phrase or word sticks out.
John E. Bredehoft replied | Nov 3, 2010 (8 comments)
I always interpret quotation marks to mean so-called; for example, the industrial cafeteria serves something that they call “meat.”
With that interpretation, I always wonder whether the MARQ VII lounge is ACTUALLY providing wireless internet, if the food item served by 7-Eleven is TRULY wings, or if the Labor Day sale will REALLY take place on Monday.
Steve replied | Nov 4, 2010 (1 comment)
If that sandwich isn’t really made fresh I am not sure that I want to eat it.
Seems like some sign makers just like to place quotes around words without any “real” meaning behind them.
Min Li replied | Nov 5, 2010 (1 comment)
Made fresh in store.. hahaha this made me laugh. You guys should visit this site, it’s hilarious. http://www.engrish.com. seriously i’m not kidding. hahaha
John TenHopen replied | Nov 6, 2010 (1 comment)
I work at a sign shop and make signs like the ones above all the time. I know it’s incorrect to use quotes like this yet I still make signs like this all the time. People also like to put things in (parenthesis) when it isn’t necessary.
It is hard to convince people that they are wrong. If they tell me to make “it” like (this) I will, just to avoid me making them look dumb. If I don’t tell them they never rly know. Therefore I’m happy for not dealing with there bullshit and they never know the difference. haha
Most of the time it is old people or idiots sent by there boss.
Kel replied | Nov 6, 2010 (1 comment)
There were quotation marks around most of the signs in a hospital where I once worked. Eventually, I figured out that the maintenance worker who made the signs took it too literally when he received notes like the following: Please make a sign that says, “Microwave in use.”
Tom replied | Nov 6, 2010 (1 comment)
It’s possible some of these are intended to look like they are (or actually are) quoting something.
The candy could be saying “no sugar added” is quoted directly from the box, which is a type of advertising ploy in itself. Same with the deli sandwich.
Although as someone else pointed out, with the products and services at least, whether the quotations are unnecessary is irrelevant… A sale is a sale is a sale.
Jackie replied | Dec 7, 2010 (3 comments)
This is a perfect example of how your credibility really relies on how well you articulate your message. We learn all the time in my Strategic Communications class how important it is to read, edit, re read and edit again. We even take AP grammar quizzes once a week to avoid making stupid mistakes like this. These are a few funny examples, but it’s kind of sad to see how many grammar errors are made in every day usage. Especially when it is these people’s job to NOT make grammar mistakes!
Paul Bennett replied | Dec 16, 2010 (7 comments)
I used to work in the web dept of a large (1,500+ staff) city council. We had 2 writers and an editor – everything (and I mean everything) that went on the site was rewritten for the web and checked by at least two people.
As a result the site copy was crisp, concise and won us some happy, happy users (and more than one award).
Contrast this with the print department who designed and printed all paper-based comms and signage – often without any editing or grammatical checking.
Wonderful designers but severely lacking in grammatical and spelling skill (Photoshop has no spell checker apparently…). I still cringe going to the zoo (a council owned property) and seeing spelling mistakes and appalling grammar on the signage – often hand corrected by the public (!)