QUOTATION MARKS
ESL WRITING
CFA/QUOTATION MARKS
Quotation marks are used for _____________, ______________,
and ________________.
Modify the sentences below by adding in quotation marks
and any punctuation (commas, question marks).
1. Han said Please bring me a glass of Alka-Seltzer.
2. The trouble with school said Muriel is the classes.
3. I know what I’m going to do after my last final whispered
Allyson.
4. Jason admitted I have very oily hair. I wash it twice a day.
5. That’s a beautiful ring exclaimed Bob Where did you buy
it?
6. I read Robert Frost’s poem, Patterns, yesterday in class.
7. My favorite Taylor Swift song is Blank Space.
8. The word difficult doesn’t even begin to explain his
behavior.
ESSENTIAL LEARNING QUESTIONS
• What are the functions of quotation marks in text?
• When do I apply quotation marks?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2.C
Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2.D
Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
• How can I apply quotation marks to my own
writing?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
FUNCTIONS OF QUOTATION MARKS
• Dialogue
When writing dialogue, start a new
paragraph and a new set of
quotations whenever the speaker
changes.
EXAMPLE OF DIALOGUE IN TEXT
GUIDED PRACTICE
QUOTES
FUNCTIONS
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Use quotation marks for the titles of:
Poems
Stories
Essays
Songs
Chapter titles
Magazine or newspaper articles
Individual episodes of a television series
Page of a Web site
Titles of books are ALWAYS italicized
or underlined.
EXAMPLES
• Here are some examples:
• “A Thousand Excuses for Missing the Tax Deadline” (a
newspaper article) in The Ticker Tape Journal (a
newspaper)
• “Ode to Taxes Uncalculated” (a poem) in The Tax Poems (a
book of poetry)
• “I Got the W2 Blues” (a song title) on Me and My Taxes (a
CD containing many songs)
• “On the Art of Deductions” (an essay) in Getting Rich and
Staying Rich (a magazine)
• “Small Business Expenses” (an individual episode) on The IRS
Report (a television series)
• April 15th (a play)
• “Deductions Unlimited” (a page in a Web site) in Beat the
IRS (the title of a Web site)
FUNCTIONS
• To place emphasis on a word or phrase within a
sentence/Often referred to as verbal irony
Examples:
• He shared his "wisdom" with me.
• The lunch lady plopped a glob of "food" onto my
tray.