(Words used in a special way) Quoted Words
He “relaxed” by climbing mountains and running marathons. The students had a choice of two articles to read: “The American Economy in 2012” or “The Effect of Sunspots on Earth’s Weather.” (Title of short, published work)
USE WHOLE IN A SENTENCE FREE
Old owls never die Fernie said They just don’t give a hoot Feel free to try your hand at these in the Comments. Why did Horace shout Don’t touch the stove My dog asked Does the name Pavlov ring a bell Grandpa said I used to be a shoe salesman, till they gave me the boot Add commas, ending punctuation, and quotation marks.ĭad said Did you know it’s illegal to hunt camels in Arizona Incorrect: Did Mom really say, “Don’t eat the cookies?” Want to Practice?Ĭopy and paste these sentences. Incorrect: Did Mom really say, “Don’t eat the cookies!”?īut if you don’t want an exclamation point, the question mark wins, and no period after cookies is used:Ĭorrect: Mom said, “Don’t eat the cookies.”Ĭorrect: Did Mom really say, “Don’t eat the cookies”? Got that?Ĭorrect: Mom said, “Don’t eat the cookies!”Ĭorrect: Did Mom really say, “Don’t eat the cookies!” If a question ends with a quotation containing an exclamation mark, the exclamation mark will override the question. Use just one ending punctuation mark with quotation marks. The exclamation mark trumps the question mark, and both trump the period. See, there’s a hierarchy of sorts in punctuation. Incorrect: Should we sing “The Hairbrush Song?” Double Troubleįinally, what do you do when faced with two end punctuation marks? Can you use both? In a word, no. Incorrect: Do you consider her note “noteworthy?”Ĭorrect: Should we sing “The Hairbrush Song”? When the entire sentence-not just the quoted word or phrase-is a question, you’ll follow a different rule In this case, the question mark is set OUTSIDE the quotation marks.Ĭorrect: Do you consider her note “noteworthy”? Incorrect: Mom asked, “Did you feed the aardvark”? The Question of Question Marks Grumpledump’s Song”.Ĭorrect: Mom asked, “Did you feed the aardvark?” Incorrect: “Don’t be silly”, said the clown.Ĭorrect: My favorite poem is “Mr. Generally speaking, the end punctuation goes INSIDE the quotation marks.Ĭorrect: “Don’t be silly,” said the clown. (And, for the record, I’m speaking of American grammar rules here, so if you still flub up on where to stick the period, blame it on the British.) Keep It Inside
USE WHOLE IN A SENTENCE HOW TO
You know-those pesky little punctuation marks your kid carefully positions smack-dab above the period, hoping you won’t notice his indecision.įret no more! Here’s a helpful little tutorial on how to use quotation marks at the end of a sentence. While this definitely isn’t meant to be the final word on quotation marks, I hope it helps you shore up your own understanding of how to end a sentence correctly when quotation marks are involved.