Do you put commas before quotation marks?

In the United States, the rule of thumb is that commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks, and colons and semicolons (dashes as well) go outside: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said. Peter, however, didn’t believe him.

Do you need a comma before a quote in the middle of a sentence?

As a general rule, you should use a comma to introduce quoted material or dialogue. That’s because in most types of dialogue, the quoted material stands apart from the surrounding text. In grammatical terms, it’s “syntactically independent.”

How do you punctuate quotes?

Proper Punctuation – Quotes

1. If you start by telling who said it, use a comma and then the first quotation mark.
2. If you put the quote first and then tell who said it, use a comma at the end of the sentence, and then the second quotation mark.
3. Punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks if it is a direct quote.

How do you punctuate a quote within a quote?

Rule: Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation. Example: Bobbi told me, “Delia said, ‘This will never work. ‘ ”

How do you punctuate quotes in an essay?

In a quotation it’s important to make sure you use the exact words from the original text. In most literature essays, it’s better to use shorter quotations in a precise way rather than write out very long quotations. You can use single inverted commas ‘ ‘ or double quotation marks “ ” to punctuate the quotation.

How do you use multiple quotes in a sentence?

For direct quotations of more than one paragraph, place open quotation marks at the start of each new paragraph. Place close quotation marks at the end of only the last paragraph.

What are direct quotations example?

A direct quotation is a report of the exact words of an author or speaker and is placed inside quotation marks in a written work. For example, Dr. King said, “I have a dream.”

How do you select a quotation?

How do I set up and follow up a quotation?

1. Provide context for each quotation. Do not rely on quotations to tell your story for you.
2. Attribute each quotation to its source. Tell your reader who is speaking.
3. Explain the significance of the quotation.
4. Provide a citation for the quotation.

When to use commas before or after a quotation?

If the attribution is in the middle of a sentence or between two sentences, close the quotation marks before the attribution and reopen them after it. Use commas to separate the attribution from the quotation.

When to use commas before or after an attribution?

The driver was killed.” If the attribution is in the middle of a sentence or between two sentences, close the quotation marks before the attribution and reopen them after it. Use commas to separate the attribution from the quotation. “The motorcycle slid sideways,” she said, “and skidded about 100 feet.

When do you put quotation marks before punctuation?

For other scenarios, punctuate according to the grammar of the sentence, as though the quotation marks were not there. This means sometimes no punctuation is required before quotation marks.

When do you capitalize the first letter of a quotation?

Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted material. Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence. Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, “The alien spaceship appeared right before my own two eyes.”