Quotation Marks Practice

Quotation marks are used to indicate direct speech, quotations, or titles of short works.

Quotation marks should enclose the exact words spoken or written, and punctuation marks like commas and periods should be placed inside the quotation marks.

The correct way is to place a comma before the opening quotation mark if the quote follows a statement.

Single quotation marks are used to indicate a quote within a quote.

She said, "I will be there soon."

If the quoted material is a question, the question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks.

If the quote ends the sentence, place the period after the closing quotation mark.

Direct speech quotes the exact words spoken, while indirect speech paraphrases what was said without quotes.

For longer quotes, use a block quote format, which does not require quotation marks.

He said, "I heard her say, 'I will come tomorrow.'"