1) Use quotation marks to begin and end a direct quotation. In a direct quotation, the words of the
speaker are quoted exactly, and the first word of the quotation is capitalized.
 Madison said, “I would like to play tennis.”
You Try:
a) The girl answered five weeks is too long to live out of a suitcase.
b) Do not count your chickens before they are hatched warned Logan.
2) Both parts of a divided quotation are enclosed in quotation marks. The first word of the second
part of the quotation is not capitalized unless it begins a new sentence.
 “I would like to play tennis,” said Madison, “but I can’t.”
You Try:
a) The whole secret of the study of nature wrote George Sand lies in learning how to use one’s
eyes.
b) This dress is incredible exclaimed Rosa. I’ve never seen one like it!
3) If the quotation is a question or an exclamation, the question mark or exclamation point falls inside
the quotation marks. If the entire sentence that contains the quotation is a question or an
exclamation, the question mark or exclamation point falls outside the quotation marks. Also note the
placement of commas to set the quotation apart from the rest of the sentence.
 The crowd yelled, “Hurray!”
 Did you say, “Come in”?
You Try:
a) When Steve Jobs discovered that the iPod could hold 5000 songs, he exclaimed eureka!
b) Do you know what author wrote the short story Rich for a Day?
4) Single quotation marks are used to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
 He asked, “Who said the words, „To be, or not to be‟?”
You Try:
a) Muhammad Ali said my favourite saying is float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
b) Jane said mom always says eat your vegetables and you will grow up to be strong.
5) Words used in special ways are enclosed in quotation marks.
 Ben calls the people of our town the “locals.”
You Try:
a) My mother calls the water fountain the bubbler.
b) In British English a truck is called a lorry.
6) Semi-colons go outside the quotation marks.
 Leonardo DaVinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”; however, his work was
very complex.
You Try:
a) Mrs. Ryan said everyone is doing a great job with grammar however many students did not
agree.
7) Colons go outside the quotation marks and follow a noun (colons cannot follow a verb or a
preposition i.e. such as)
 In her address to the student body Miss Proietti was careful to praise students for their
good behavior: “I am so proud of you all for supporting our recent fund raiser. You are
the most generous and giving people I know.”
You Try:
a)
There are many valuable life lessons in the Bible turn the other cheek said Jesus in the
New Testament.
9) When a word and its definition appear in a sentence, the word is italicized (or underlined) and the
definition is in quotation marks.
 The word ingress means “entrance.”
You Try:
a) The word enthrall means to enslave.
b) The word dollop means a lump or a large portion.
10) Quotation marks are never used with an indirect quotation, which reports the meaning of the
speaker but not the exact words.
 Madison said she would like to play tennis.
You Try:
a) Mr. Owens said to read Chapter 10 for tomorrow.
b) Tiffany asked why no one had thrown her a surprise party.