Quotation Marks

“Say WHAT?”

Use

•Used to indicate the exact words a person is speaking

With a comma or period

•ALWAYS place a comma or a period (which ever is called for) in front of the quotation marks.

With a comma or period

• EX: “You drove better today,” the driving instructor said.

• EX: “The last thing I need,” said your mother, “is a dog around the house.”

With a semi-colon or colon

•ALWAYS place a semicolon or colon outside the final quotation mark

With a semi-colon or colon

• EX: The principal said, “I don’t want to see any cell phones in school”; however, the students still brought them.

With a question mark or exclamation point

• IF the question mark or exclamation point is PART OF the quote, place it inside the final quotation mark

With a question mark or exclamation point

• EX: Mr. Baydoun asked in a letter, “How is my daughter doing in your class?”

• EX: My aunt yelled across the phone, “I won the lottery!”

With a question mark or exclamation point

• IF the question mark or exclamation point is NOT part of the quote, place it outside the final quotation mark

With a question mark or exclamation point

• EX: Did you hear Mr. Baydoun say, “You’ll get your cell phone back tomorrow”?

• Notice: No period; just the question mark or exclamation point….

With an introductory expression

• Use a comma or colon after an introductory expression–Commas are for more informal speech

–Colons are for more formal speech

With an introductory expression

• EX: Ahmad’s father said, “I don’t want you boys to play in the street.”

• EX: The president made an announcement: “We are going to war.”

With a concluding expression

• Use a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point with a quotation followed by a concluding expression

With a concluding expression

• EX: “Can I go to my locker?” she asked.

• EX: “I was wondering who you were,” he said.

• EX: “I won the lottery!” she yelled.

With an interrupting expression

• Use a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation mark after a quoted sentence that comes before an interrupting expression. Use a period after the expression.

With an interrupting expression

• Use a comma after part of a quoted sentence followed by an interrupting expression. Use another comma after the expression.

With an interrupting expression

• EX: “Will I get my phone back today?” he asked. “I just bought it yesterday.”

• EX: “Cell phones,” Mr. Baydoun said, “annoy me to no end.”

When writing dialogue

•Begin a new paragraph with each CHANGE of SPEAKER.

When writing dialogue

“You look great,” Ahmed said.

“Really? You think so?” replied Zeinab. “I don’t feel too good.”

Ahmed laughed. “Well, let me know if you’re going to throw up,” he said. “I’ll go get a bucket.”

Quotations longer than a paragraph

• Use a quotation mark to begin each paragraph; use a quotation mark at the end of the FINAL paragraph for that speaker.

Quotations longer than a paragraph

“I went to the store last night,” said Amanda. “It was so cool!

“I saw Aerosmith and Ben Wallace and Roy Williams.

“I couldn’t believe they were all there!”

Quote within a quote

•Use single quotation marks for a quote within a quote.

Quote within a quote

•EX: Nada said, “Mr. Baydoun yelled at Mahmoud. He said, ‘Give me your cell phone right now!’”