Alejandro S., Alejandro Z, Wendy, Gustavo
Uses of Quotation Marks: Quotation marks are used to separate material such as quotes or spoken language. They are also used to separate the names of poems, stories, or articles. To separate the actual quoted material from the rest of the sentence using a comma. Ex: Wendy said, “My teammates are a boon from the gods.”
Use of Quotation Marks: (continued) Examples- For quotes: My favorite quote by Thomas Paine is “Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society,” which states that suspicion is a feeling that causes great harm to society. For speech: Clarianne said, “Hey everybody! I finally got my license!” For names of stories: José Martí’s “Nuestra America” is adulterated by his excessive use of commas.
Periods & Commas in Quotations: Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks, even inside single quotes. Commas: Ex: The teacher told us “Read Chapter 12,” then changed his mind and told us not to. Periods: Ex: Julia inimically said: “You’re always causing me trouble Jorge.”
Question and Exclamation Marks in Quotations: If a question is in quotation marks, the question mark goes inside the quotation marks. Ex: The scientist asked himself “How will I keep this toxic chemical out of nature?” If the question is not part of the quote, the question mark goes outside the quotation marks. Ex: How many people use the phrase “golly gee willikers”? The same rules apply to exclamation marks. Ex: Amandla shouted malevolently, “I hope you get hurt for calling me hostile!”
Additional Quotation Mark Details: Use quotation marks to set off a direct quotation only. Ex: The doctor told his patients, “I will find a panacea and save you all from your diseases.” The doctor told his patients that he would find a panacea and cure all of their diseases. Use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. Ex: Malika read, “And then the rebel said, ‘The invading armies are nothing if not pernicious to our people’”
Quiz Part 1: Identify where the quotation marks should go. If already correct, say so. Shakespeare’s most famous quote is To be or not to be…that is the question. The quotation marks should go before the first to and after the period, indicating the actual quote Laila asked, Is exercising salutary for my heart condition? The quotation marks should go after the comma and after the question mark, indicating what Laila asked
Quiz Part 2: Insert the punctuation marks where you think they should go. There may be more than one missing mark. After adding the wrong ingredients, Zúñiga exclaimed, “I adulterated my recipe NOOOO” The period goes after recipe because it is part of the quoted material. The exclamation mark goes after NOOOO, but inside the quotation marks because the question is directly quoted. Do you think Chris vitiated his essay supporting war by ending with Sun Tzu’s quote “All war is deception” The question mark goes after the quotation marks because a question is being asked about the quote.
Quiz Part 3: The first three road signs that Pedro saw the first time he drove read “Yield” “Stop” and “No U Turn” The commas go after Yield and Stop, but inside the quotation marks. The Gabriela told us, “After hitting me, my sister yelled, You’re ugly” Single quotation marks go before You’re and after ugly because Gabriela is telling us what her sister said. A period goes in before the last quotation mark.