1. Commas with Quotations
Writing Lab
Commas with Quotations

2. Commas with Quotations
Use a comma to separate a direct quotation from its identifying tag.
General Douglas MacArthur said, “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
“I greet you at the beginning of a great career,” Emerson said to Thoreau.
“I greet you,” Emerson said to Thoreau, “at the beginning of a great career.”

3. Commas with Quotations cont.
Commas and periods are always placed inside the closing quotation marks.
“America the Beautiful” replaced “The Star Spangled Banner,” which no one could sing.
Martha’s favorite short stories are “The Bear,” “Barn Burning,” and “Winter Dreams.”

4. Commas with Quotations cont. 2
Do not use a comma to separate quoted material which is the subject, object, or complement of a verb.
All I can say is “Waste not, want not.”

5. That’s all, folks!
This lesson is part of the UWF Writing Lab Grammar Mini-Lesson Series
Lessons adapted from Real Good Grammar, Too by Mamie Webb Hixon
To find out more, visit the Writing Lab’s website where you can take a self-scoring quiz corresponding to this lesson