USING QUOTES IN YOUR WRITING

Marlena Simmons

English 1H

USE QUOTATION MARKS TO SHOW A PERSON’S EXACT WORDS

Direct Quote “Is English my favorite class of

the day?” Mike asked.

Indirect Quote Mike told Andrew that English was

his favorite class.

A DIRECT QUOTE STARTS WITH A CAPITAL LETTER

“What is your favorite class?” Andrew asked.

Mike excitedly replied, “English class, of course!”

WHEN A QUOTE IS DIVIDED BY A PHRASE, THE SECOND PART BEGINS WITH A LOWER CASE LETTER

“I agree,” said Andrew, “that’s my favorite class of the day too!”

COMMAS AND PERIODS THAT END THE QUOTE ARE ALWAYS PLACED INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS

“I wish I had two periods of English,” Mike sighed.

With a wishful glance, Andrew said, “Me too.”

USE A COMMA TO INTRODUCE A QUOTE. THIS COMMA GOES OUTSIDE THE QUOTE!

When talking about her love of literature, Nicole gushed, “Shakespeare is my favorite writer!”

All quotes should be tied to your writing; they should clearly fit with the rest of the paragraph!

Introduce them! Quotes should not just suddenly appear. Incorrect - “In order to get into high

school, you had to take a pretty big test.”

Correct - Florence explained, “In order to get into high school, you had to take a pretty big test.”

VARY THE WORDS YOU USE TO INTRODUCE A QUOTE

o Explained o Whisperedo Declaredo Claimed o Believed o Remarked o Admitted

o Assumed o Confessed o Complained o Joked o Implied o Suggested o Warned

Instead of “said,” try…

Provide your own insights and observations about how the interviewee said the quote or how he/she looked or acted at this point.

With a glimmer in her eye, she explained…

Quietly, she admitted…

His face got serious as he remembered…

She leaned closer to me, and, as if revealing a deep secret…