"Quotation Marks?"

Yesterday, I spoke to one of my students about using quotation marks. "Why do we need to use quotation marks?" questioned Jonathan, looking utterly confused. "Well," I began, "we need quotation marks for many reasons." I explained to Jonathan that we use quotation marks to signify dialogue in our writing, to represent direct quotes, or to use around titles of poems, songs, essays, and much more. "So, if I were to write down the title of my essay, 'My Great Adventure,' I would put quotation marks around it?" the student asked, this time more confidently. "Yes!" I exclaimed, feeling prideful in both myself and Jonathan. With that, I knew Jonathan would be able to correctly use quotation marks from then on.

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I talked about my interaction with one of my students. This student was curious about the use of quotation marks and wanted to know how to use them. Quotation marks are used for many reasons.
* They are used around words that are said aloud, in a dialogue.
For example: Jonathan asked, "Why do we need to use quotation marks?" Quotation marks were used here to represent something that was said aloud by Jonathan.
* They are used around words that are taken as direct quotes from a text.
For example: We would use quotes in this case to quote a line from a poem. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/And sorry I could not travel both" (Robert Frost, 1-2).
* We use quotation marks around the titles of short works, such as poems, essays, short stories, songs, article titles, chapter titles, TV episodes, and radio episodes.
For example: If I were to reference the title of a short story I wrote, I would write it as, "The Confident Student."
*** Single quotation marks are used when we are using a quote within a quote.
For example: The sentence where Jonathan said, "So, if I were to write down the title of my essay, 'My Great Adventure,' I would put quotation marks around it?" In this case, we put quotation marks around Jonathan's speech to signify dialogue. However, we also put single quotes around Jonathan's Essay.

Tip: When a quote ends at the same time as the sentence, the punctuation mark always remains inside the quotation mark.
For example: I love the poem, "The Train." The period stays within the quotation mark at the end of the sentence.

Activity Time!

Activity 1

Fix the following sentences by filling in quotation marks appropriately.

Example: Wow! What a great boat, said Oliver.

Answer: "Wow! What a great boat," said Oliver.

1. I love your cat. She's so fluffy! exclaimed Jenna.

2. Why are you so upset? questioned Ted's mother, noticing the tears in his eyes.

3. So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay (Robert Frost, 6-8).

4. The short story, The Cupcake, was very entertaining.

5. Connor really enjoyed Shari's essay, The U.S. Government. He thought it was really interesting.

6. Anna! Have you read the poem, The Canoe? It's great! said Mark excitedly.

Words to Know

1. Exclaimed - The past tense of exclaim, which means to yell out loud.

2. Questioned - The past tense of question, which means to ask about something.

3. Enjoyed - The past tense of enjoy, which means to take pleasure in something.

4. Noticed - To become aware of something.

5. Sank - The past tense of sink. To sink means to go below the surface of something, or to drop down. In this case, we are not referring to the object (the kitchen sink).

6. Grief - Deep sadness.

Activity 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words. Use words from the "Words to Know" list above.

1. Kyle felt much _____ after his dog passed away.

2. "Wow! This is amazing!" ________ Patrick after opening his birthday present.

3. Brianna really ______ going to the football game with her dad last weekend. She had so much fun!

4. After Kristina's baseball fell into the pool, it _____ to the bottom.

5. Gina _____ that Isabella got a haircut because her hair was much shorter.

6. "What's in the box?" ______ Lily after shaking it.

Answer Key

Activity 1

1. "I love your cat. She's so fluffy!" exclaimed Jenna.

2. "Why are you so upset?" questioned Ted's mother, noticing the tears in his eyes.

3. "So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay" (Robert Frost, 6-8).

4. The short story, "The Cupcake," was very entertaining.

5. Connor really enjoyed Shari's essay, "The U.S. Government." He thought it was really interesting.

6. "Anna! Have you read the poem, 'The Canoe?' It's great!" said Mark excitedly.

Activity 2

1. Kyle felt much grief after his dog passed away.

2. "Wow! This is amazing!" exclaimed Patrick after opening his birthday present.

3. Brianna really enjoyed going to the football game with her dad last weekend. She had so much fun!

4. After Kristina's baseball fell into the pool, it sank to the bottom.

5. Gina noticed that Isabella got a haircut because her hair was much shorter.

6. "What's in the box?" questioned Lily after shaking it.