Name: ______________________________ Quotation Marks

Quotation Marks Rules

Quotation marks are for when you want to use someone else’s words in your writing. Let’s say you want to
write about something you heard your friend say. You could do it like this:

• John said, “I really hate when it’s hot outside.”

You can write about the same thing without using the quotation marks, with a couple of changes:

• John said he hated when it was hot outside.

The first sentence contains a direct quote, a quote in which you report the exact words John used. The second
sentence contains an indirect quote, which is a paraphrased version of what John said. Quotation marks are used
only with direct quotes. This rule isn’t just for speech. If you’re quoting a written source, you should still put the
quote between quotation marks unless you plan to paraphrase it.

The first rule of using quotations is that once they’re opened, they have to be closed. The person reading your
work needs to know where the quote starts and where it ends. But that’s an easy one. What about some trickier
quotation mark rules?

Quotations and Capitalization

Sometimes, the text inside quotation marks is capitalized, other times it isn’t. Capitalization of the quoted material
depends on the material itself—if you’re quoting a complete sentence, you should start the quote with a capital
letter, even if the quote is placed in the middle of a sentence:

• The exact phrase she used was “There is no way we will get there in time.”

If you’re quoting a phrase or a part of a sentence, don’t start the quote with a capital letter:

• He called them “loud, smelly, and utterly annoying,” and he closed the door.

If you’re splitting a quote in half to interject a parenthetical, you should not capitalize the second part of the
quote:

• “The problem with opinions,” Paula explained, “is that everyone has one.”

Does Punctuation Go Inside Quotation Marks?

The answer is both yes and no! The rules for when you put punctuation inside closing quotation marks can seem
complicated at first glance, but they are actually pretty straightforward once you get used to them.

Where some confusion might arise is that American and British styles differ slightly and on the internet you will
probably see both. We will point out the differences and similarities within the article to help lessen the confusion.

Commas and Periods

In American usage, commas and periods at the end of quotes always go inside the quotation marks. American
style guides such as Associated Press (AP), Modern Language Association (MLA) and The Chicago Manual of
Style (Chicago) all follow the American rule when it comes to commas and periods. You should note that commas
and periods go before closing quotation marks, regardless of them being single or double quotes.
 For example:
• He said, "I'll be going to the party later."
• "When you have finished your time out," her dad said, "you must go to mom and say 'I'm
sorry.' "

Some more examples of commas used inside quotation marks are:

• "Don't be late for class," the teacher said.
• "I am never talking to him again," my sister said angrily.
• "It snowed last night," said Sam.

Some more examples of periods used inside of quotation marks are:

• Anne called the boys "mean and nasty."
• In his most charming manner he said, "I never give up."
• She told him to neatly write the word "Holiday."
• Alan's assignment is to read Wordsworth's "Daffodils."

Question Marks and Exclamation Marks

In American English the general rule for question marks and exclamation marks (or points) is: If the quoted
material ends with a question mark or an exclamation mark, the punctuation should be inside the quotation marks.
However, if the question mark or exclamation mark is not directly part of the quote, then the punctuation should
go outside the quotation marks.

As you can see here, if the quote itself is an exclamation or question the punctuation mark is contained within the
quotation marks:
1. Anthony asked, "Can we have pizza again for dinner?"
2. Mom shouted, "I said don't throw the ball in the house!"
3. I cried out to the child, "Watch for the ice!"

If the quoted words are embedded within a sentence that is an exclamation or question, then the punctuation goes
outside the quotation marks, like this:
• Who said the line "I'm the king of the world"?
• How did the coach know it was me who said "I don't want to be on this team"?
• You have to read the article "UFOs Are Real"!

Punctuation That Goes Outside Quotation Marks

There are certain punctuation marks that always go outside quotation marks. Here, both American and British
English follow the same rule. Punctuation marks that go outside are:

• Colons
• Semicolons
• Dashes

The following are examples of punctuation marks that stay outside quotes:
• The speaker listed three "secrets of success": confidence, perseverance, and passion.
• His favorite team is the "Rams"; he has never missed any of their games.
• She laughed and said, "I don't think he will pass his driving test" - then he pulled up in
front of the house.
Quoting Sources in Formal Writing

When writing a formal paper and using research, you need to ensure that you give proper credit to the author
from whom you are drawing the information. This will be done with a parenthetical citation after you indirectly
or directly quote the author. It is just as important to place the quotation marks in the right place. The ending
quotes are placed before the parenthetical citation.

• Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth

263).
• While there, Ward “had squeezed through holes in fences, waded across canals and slogged through muddy
fields in the night, paying smugglers to help her sneak past government checkpoints” (Ricciardi 5).

Quotes Within Quotes

So now you know how to deal with quotation marks and punctuation and capitalization, but what if the quote
you want to take already contains quotation marks? This can happen, too. Say you want to write a direct quote
in which someone is praising their favorite chapter from one of the Harry Potter books. Would you do it like
this?

• ““The Dementor’s Kiss” is my favorite chapter in the whole series,” Tom said.

It doesn’t work, does it? You might even manage to confuse your word processing program. But if you do it
like this, everything will look much better:

• “‘The Dementor’s Kiss’ is my favorite chapter in the whole series,” Tom said.

More Examples Of Quotes within Quotes

• Dan said, "In a town outside Brisbane, I saw 'Tourists go home' written on a wall. But then someone told
me, 'Pay it no mind, lad.'"
• Bobbi told me, “Delia said, ‘This will never work.’”

Notice that what Delia said was enclosed in single quotation marks. Notice also that the period was placed
inside both the single and the double quotation marks. The American rule is that periods always go inside all
quotation marks.

Rule: Question marks and exclamation points, unlike periods, follow logic with their placement. If a
quote inside a quote is a question or exclamation, place the question mark or exclamation point inside
the single quotation marks.
• Bobbi said, “Delia asked, ‘Will this remote control work on my TV?’”
• Bobbi said, “Delia shouted, ‘Get your hands off me!’”

Rule: If the question is inside the double quotation marks, place the question mark between the single
and double quotation marks.
• Bobbi asked, “Did Delia say, ‘This will never work’?”

Quotation Marks Used in Titles

Poems, chapters, articles—smaller bodies of work, or bodies of work which form a larger body of work—are
emphasized by using quotation marks.
Scare Quotes

Some writers put quotes around words they want to distance themselves from. Quotation marks used this way
are commonly called scare quotes or shudder quotes. It’s a way of implying that you’re using a term in an
unusual way or that you don’t necessarily approve of it:

• This article was written by a “professional” writer.

Name: _____________________________ Quotation Marks Practice

Directions: Add commas in the correct places.

1. “You are looking in the wrong direction” said the detective.

2. His favorite old televisions shows are “I Love Lucy” “Batman” and “Bonanza.”

3. “If you want to go outside” said Mrs. Clark “you must wear your raincoats.”

4. “Yes, it’s an important clue” replied Vance “but more important is the time of the call.”

Directions: Add the exclamation point in the correct place.

5. Max heard someone call “Help”

6. Don’t tell me “It doesn’t matter”

7. His mother said, “That is no excuse”

8. I can’t believe I didn’t hear Mr. Williams say, “The homework is due tomorrow”

9. “Hooray” said Lily.

10. She was furious when her sister said, “Please take out the trash”

Directions: Add the period in the correct place.

11. Richard said, “The train leaves in one hour”

12. The nurse told us, “Come this way”

13. The class read “The Road Not Taken”

14. The first words said on a telephone were “Mr. Watson, come here; I want to see you”

15. Her favorite show was “The Puppy Bowl”

Directions: Add the question mark in the correct place.

16. When did Oliver say, “You’re lucky?

17. My teacher said, “Are there any volunteers”

18. “What time is it” said Mike.

19. Does Mrs. Jackson often say, “There’s no time like the present”

20. The boys were already full when their mother asked, “Who wants more”
Directions: Identify if the following sentences are correct. If not, correct them.

21. My favorite “Christmas carol is Silent Night.”

22. The poem he chose to read was “Ode to a Grecian Urn.”

23. The title of the seventh chapter is “Tough” Luck.

24. “Have Funds, Will Travel” was the most useful article in the newspaper.

25. Michael Jackon’s song “Thriller was a hit” in the 1980s.

Directions: Add both double and single quotation marks where needed.

26. Grace’s mother told us, My grandmother’s advice was Always be kind and I try to do that.

27. I’ll read the first graders my poem Waterfall after school, Mrs. Simpson said.

28. Todd told me, Our practice is on Friday this week, said Kevin.

29. Her class sang Happy Birthday to Elise, commented Bella.

30. The coach remarked, It’s all right if you want to tell Hooray!

Directions: Add quotation marks where needed.

31. When you kill a journalist, you're not punished. You're not even bothered with. Hell, if you kill anyone,
you're not punished or bothered with (45).

32. This is clearly shown in a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which states, There will be a 9% decrease
in the total number of jobs in the field between 2016 and 2026 (Maresca 32).

33. From 2016 to 2017, weekday print circulation decreased 11% and Sunday circulation decreased 10%
(“Real Journalism Matters” 56).

34. It took 20 years for the law to take effect (Kaiser 105).

35. The New York Times reported, Instead of encouraging public posts, he said he would focus on private
and encrypted communications, in which users message mostly smaller groups of people they know
(Isaac 1).