Using Quotation Marks

In English, quotation marks "..." are used to show what a person has said.

The man said, "Let's go to a restaurant."

The man is speaking. Let's go to a restaurant is what he says.

Notice two things: There is a comma (,) before the quote, and the quoted sentence begins with a capital letter.

George yelled, "Get out of here!"
Susie cried, "Where did she go?"

If the quotation comes first, we use a comma (,) at the end of the quote instead of a period (.).

"Let's go home," said Alex.

But for other punctuation, use what you would normally use.

"Where is my book?" asked Joe.
"I hate you!" cried Sally.

Check Your Understanding

Look at each sentence. If it is correct, do nothing. If it is incorrect, rewrite it.

1. George said, 'Today is a great day!'

2. Alison asked. "Where are my shoes?"

3. Eric asked, "Do you want to go?"

4. asked Joe.

5. "It's wonderful, Kevin cried!"

6. I like it. she said.

ESL Lessons