Quotation Marks

Front

What are quotation marks?

Back

Quotation marks are punctuation marks used to indicate the exact words spoken or written by someone.

Front

When should you use quotation marks?

Back

Use quotation marks to enclose direct speech, quotes, or titles of short works.

Front

How do you punctuate a quotation at the end of a sentence?

Back

Place the punctuation mark inside the quotation marks if it is part of the quoted material.

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate a quote followed by a speaker's name?

Back

The quote should end with a comma before the closing quotation mark if it is followed by a speaker's name.

Front

How do you punctuate a quote that is a question?

Back

If the quote is a question, place the question mark inside the quotation marks.

Front

What is an example of a correctly punctuated quote?

Back

"I love reading books," she said.

Front

What is an example of a quote that is incorrectly punctuated?

Back

"I love reading books, she said." (The comma should be inside the quotation marks.)

Front

What do you do if a quote is interrupted?

Back

Use a comma before the closing quotation mark and continue the sentence after the interruption.

Front

How do you handle quotes within quotes?

Back

Use single quotation marks for the inner quote. Example: "He said, 'I will be there soon.'"

Front

What is the rule for capitalizing the first word in a quote?

Back

Capitalize the first word of a quote if it is a complete sentence.