inverted comma

== English == === Etymology === From the appearance of an inverted comma. In lead type, an opening quote is not a separate casting. It is the result of rotating a comma 180°, inverting the comma. It is used singly or as double quotes. Similarly, the closing quotation mark is the apostrophe. Also used singly or as double quotes. === Noun === inverted comma (plural inverted commas) (normally plural) (Commonwealth) A type of paired quotation mark: ‘ or “ (beginning the quoted material) and ’ or ” (ending it). ==== Usage notes ==== In British English, the usual style is to use single inverted commas, but double inverted commas for a nested quotation. In North American English, the reverse is usual. Practice and the marks used vary by language, region, writing system and media. When the term inverted commas was first used (in the 1600s) the printing convention was to precede each line of quoted or distinguished text with a single or double inverted comma. This convention lasted through the 1700s. ==== Synonyms ==== quotation mark ==== Hypernyms ==== punctuation ==== See also ==== guillemet quotation dash === Further reading === Quotation marks on Wikipedia.Wikipedia