1. Mrs Ingham Year 8 English
Using Quotation Marks
Mrs Ingham
Year 8 English

2. Rule 1
Use double quotation marks to define a word-for-word quotation. Do not use if it is not written exactly as it is spoke.
Eg. “When will you be here?” he asked 
He asked her “what time she would be there.” 

3. Rule 2
Quotation marks or italics are customary for titles: magazines, books, plays, films, songs, poems, articles, chapter titles etc.
Eg. In the novel “Percy Jackson,” the main character ……..
In the novel Percy Jackson, the main character………

4. Rule 3 Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks.
Eg. “I’ll be late,” he replied. Then he said, “don’t wait for me to order.”

5. Rule 4
When writing dialogue, only what is spoken goes inside the quotation marks.
Eg. He said, “I’ll be back.”
“He said, I’ll be back.”  

6. Rule 5
Only direct dialogue requires quotation marks. Indirect dialogue is a report that someone spoke.
DIRECT- “She was a bore,” he said.
INDIRECT- He said that she was a bore.

7. Rule 6
The dialogue is always in the quotation marks and the comma can either follow the quote but be inside the quotation marks OR separate the dialogue tag from the spoken words.
“He loved you,” she said.
She said, “he loved you.”  

8. Rule 7
If there is a question in the dialogue, it goes inside the quotation marks. The dialogue tag does not start with a capital letter.
“He loved you?” she asked.
“He loved you,” she asked?  

9. Rule 8
When the dialogue is cut off, either by an action (speaker being choked) or by another speaker, use – before closing the quotation marks.
“He loved y-”

10. Rule 9
Names in dialogue.
Always use a comma before and/ or after the name when addressing someone directly, even if it’s not a proper name.
“He loved you, Emma.”
Emma, he loved you.”
“He loved you, honey.”

11. Rule 10
Begin a new paragraph every time the speaker changes. If it is the same speaker though, continue in the same paragraph.
When I phoned my friend Emma, I said “he loved you.” She didn’t believe me.
“No he didn’t, Sally. He loved Amelia.”
“That’s not what he said to me,” I told her. She really had no self confidence.

12. Rewrite the sentences below with correct punctuation and capitalization.
is that a new yo-yo asked pam i have never seen it before
I bet you do not know how yo-yos were invented
no I have had awhile replied joe I found it underneath my bed
joe answered sure I do they are toys for children
no pam said they originated in the Philippines
right as toys joe insisted
they were weapons and toys pam corrected
ok well i know what the word yo-yo means
pam said so do i tell me and i will see if you are correct
well joe said i am pretty sure it means come back
that is right pam said
it is a toy that has been around for more than 3,000 years joe continued
it was not until the 1920s pam added that they were developed in australia