Colons + Commas with Quotes

​"Quotations"

with Colons and Commas​

Match

Match the following.

• colon

• comma

• period

• semicolon

:

,

.

;

• :

• ,

• .

• ;

Multiple Choice

What's a VERB?

• person, place, or thing

• action word/something that can be done

• a word to DESCRIBE a person, place, or thing

• who or what the sentence is all about

​REMEMBER

verbs = action words, something you can do

-ed (past tense)
yelled
walked
signed
answered

-s (changes who does it)
writes
says
dances
responds

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a VERB?

• quickly

• young

• blue

• scream

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a VERB?

• asks

• goldfish

• energetically

• buttons

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a VERB?

• joyfully

• oops

• warn

• classroom

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a VERB?

• talked

• pretty

• carefully

• hand sanitizer

​REMEMBER

quote = something someone says
a piece of text
written in "quotation marks"

​Introducing a "Quote"

with a COMMA

• When a VERB (action word) comes right BEFORE the "quote," you need to add a COMMA

• EXAMPLE: My brother always argues, "Jen is the messy one—not me!"

• EXAMPLE: After camp, the students commented, "It was incredible to be in the wilderness for 3 days."

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma before the "quote"?

Frequently, Alberto wonders "Should I eat 15 slices of pizza today?"

• YES

• NO

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma before the "quote"?

Ms. Robertson proved her side "And that is why Peyton Manning is the GOAT quarterback."

• YES

• NO

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma before the "quote"?

Redmond states "Applesauce was the first food eaten in space."

• YES

• NO

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma before the "quote"?

George explains "The strongest women's soccer player is Megan Rapinoe. Hands down!"

• YES

• NO

​Introducing a "Quote"

with a COLON

• When everything BEFORE the "quote" is a complete sentence and there is NO verb, you need to add a COLON.

• EXAMPLE: Here is a weird fact: "Broccoli contains more protein than steak."

• EXAMPLE: Blake loves candy corn, so he was extra excited when he heard this news on the radio: "October 30th is now national candy corn day!"

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a colon before the "quote"?

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

• colon

• comma

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

My PE coach always spews random trivia "The longest tennis match happened in 2010 at Wimbledon. It lasted 11 hours and five minutes."

• colon

• comma

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

Colon strongly argues "Pumpkin spice doesn't actually taste like pumpkins. It's way more cinnamon and nutmeg!"

• colon

• comma

​Putting It All Together

Find the beginning of the "quote."​

Check the word right BEFORE the "quote."​

It's a VERB!​

It's NOT a verb!​

Add a COMMA.

Add a COLON.

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

Smith reports "In 1943, the Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles both lost so many players who were serving in WWII, they joined together to become the Steagles for the season."

• comma

• colon

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

In the middle of research, Jose yelled "Guys! Jellyfish have no heart or brain. Weird!"

• comma

• colon

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

For once, my history textbook had something interesting "the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S."

• comma

• colon

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

Aaliyah claims "Wisconsin is officially the cheese state."

• comma

• colon

Multiple Choice

Does this sentence need a comma or a colon before the "quote"?

My brother is obsessed with goats, so he always has new information about them "A baby goat is called a kid."

• comma

• colon

Poll

How confident do you feel about commas and colons with "quotes" right now?

• Completely Lost

• Sort of Get It

• Pretty Good

• Amazing -- Got It Every Time