Quotation Punctuation Practice

Which of the following is a semicolon? a. ... b. : c. " " d. ;

d. ; The most common use of the semicolon is to join two independent sentences without using a conjunction like and.

"Maybe there is a beast" Simon suggests. "Maybe it's only us" (Golding 123). Where should the comma be placed? a. after the word beast b. after the word us c. after the word suggests d. No comma is needed.

a. after the word beast Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

Todd looked at Randy - flabbergasted. "Did she really just say our homework is due tomorrow" Where should the question mark be placed? a. after tomorrow but before the quotation mark b. after tomorrow but outside the quotation mark c. after flabbergasted instead of the period d. No question mark is needed.

a. after tomorrow but before the quotation mark If a question is within the quoted material, a question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks.

Which of the following is an ellipses? a. ... b. : c. " " d. ;

a. ... Use an ellipsis in the middle of a quotation to indicate that you have omitted material from the original sentence.

"Cheaters never prosper" my little sister taunted. Where should the comma be placed? a. After prosper and inside the quotation marks b. After prosper and outside the quotation marks c. After Cheaters d. No comma is needed.

a. After prosper and inside the quotation marks Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

Which quotation example is correctly formatted? a. The film critic called the move "a complete disaster." b. The film critic called the move, "a complete disaster." c. The film critic called the movie, "A complete disaster." d. The film critic called the movie "A complete disaster."

a. The film critic called the move "a complete disaster." When the quote is a continuation of the sentence, no comma is needed.

The Associated Press an independent, non-for-profit news organization reported "The first recycled rocket successfully took to the skies" ("SpaceX"). Where should the commas be placed? a. after Press, after organization, and after reported b. after non-for-profit and after reported c. after reported and after skies d. No commas are needed.

a. after Press, after organization, and after reported Use commas to set off the name, nickname, term of endearment, or title of a person directly addressed. Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

"Fold those clothes" mother commanded. Where should the comma be placed? a. after clothes b. after mother c. after commanded d. No comma is needed.

a. after clothes Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

"What are you doing" he asked me. Where should the question mark be placed? a. after doing b. after he c. after me d. No question mark is needed.

a. after doing Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

"Let's go to the new restaurant" Andrew suggested. Where should the comma be placed? a. after restaurant but inside the quotations marks b. after restaurant but outside the quotation marks c. after Andrew and before suggested d. No comma is needed.

a. after restaurant but inside the quotations marks Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

Which of the following is a colon? a. ... b. : c. " " d. ;

b. : If you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, use a colon (:) just before the quotation.

"Watch where you are going" he hollered. What punctuation mark is needed in this quote? a. A comma after going b. An exclamation point after going c. A question mark after going d. No punctuation mark is needed.

b. An exclamation point after going Exclamation marks are also used to express surprise, astonishment, or any other such strong emotion. Any exclamatory sentence can be properly followed by an exclamation mark, to add additional emphasis.

Which quotation example is correctly formatted? a. Jill complained, "I worked on choreographing this dance for weeks," no one ever notices my hard work. b. Jill complained, "I worked on choreographing this dance for weeks; no one ever notices my hard work." c. Jill complained: "I worked on choreographing this dance for weeks; no one ever notices my hard work."

b. Jill complained, "I worked on choreographing this dance for weeks; no one ever notices my hard work." The most common use of the semicolon is to join two independent sentences without using a conjunction like and.

"It [skiing] scares me to death," Elizabeth admitted. What is the purpose of the brackets in the dialogue above? a. The brackets indicate words have been omitted. b. The brackets indicate words have been added or altered. c. The brackets draw attention to words that are important. d. The brackets are an error. They should not be included.

b. The brackets indicate words have been added or altered. When writers insert or alter words in a direct quotation, square brackets—[ ]—are placed around the change.

Which of the following are brackets? a. ... b. [ ] c. " " d. ;

b. [ ] When writers insert or alter words in a direct quotation, square brackets—[ ]—are placed around the change.

Renee wondered out loud, "Do you think the kids will want fries or apple slices with their Happy Meals" Where should the question mark be placed? a. after loud b. after Meals and before the last quotation mark c. after the last quotation mark d. No question mark is needed. A period is better in this example.

b. after Meals and before the last quotation mark Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage.

According to a recent article from Atlantic, allowing cell phones in school may put "some socioeconomic groups" at a disadvantage. Where should the in-text citation be placed? a. after Atlantic and before the comma b. after groups but outside the quotation marks c. after disadvantage d. No citation is needed.

b. after groups but outside the quotation marks Citation for the quote should be placed directly after the quote.

A recent article from Time magazine informs, "Individuals who live to be one hundred are more positive, resilient, confident, and decisive than younger family members" (MacMillan). Where should the ending quotation mark be placed? a. after confident b. after members c. after the in-text citation d. after the period

b. after members Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage, but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

Katniss reflected "You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope" (Collins 253). Where should the comma be placed? a. after Katniss b. after reflected c. after hope d. No comma is needed.

b. after reflected Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

Shelly said "here is my new fidget spinner." Where should the comma be placed? a. after Shelly b. after said c. after knife d. No comma is needed.

b. after said Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

Col Jessep spouted, "You can't handle the truth" (01:19:00) Where should the period be placed? a. after truth b. after the in-text citation c. in the in-text citation after the hour and minute d. No period is needed.

b. after the in-text citation Periods go after the last parenthesis as citation is considered part of the sentence.

"Reading improves vocabulary" researcher Grimm informs "because it exposes you to a wide range of words" (Pearson). Where should the commas be placed? a. after vocabulary and after words b. after vocabulary and after informs c. after informs and after words d. No commas are needed.

b. after vocabulary and after informs Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks. Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

"He told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts" (Lee). Atticus's name was used in the original quotation, but the author omitted it to avoid redundancy in her writing. What punctuation mark should be included to indicate the change - he instead of Atticus? a. parentheses around he b. brackets around he c. commas around he d. You can't modify a direct quote

b. brackets around he When writers insert or alter words in a direct quotation, square brackets—[ ]—are placed around the change.

"Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading he went completely out of his mind" (Quixote). Words have been omitted from this quotation. What punctuation is needed? a. brackets [ ] b. ellipses ... c. parentheses ( ) d. commas , ,

b. ellipses ... Use an ellipsis in the middle of a quotation to indicate that you have omitted material from the original sentence.

Which of the following are quotation marks? a. ... b. [ ] c. " " d. ;

c. " " We use quotation marks to show (or mark) the beginning and end of a word or phrase that is somehow special or comes from outside the text that we are writing.

Which quotation example is correctly formatted? a. "But then she said, Butt out. How rude!" she told me. b. "But then she said, "Butt out." How rude!" she told me. c. "But then she said, 'Butt out' How rude!" she told me. d. But then she said, "Butt out." How rude! she told me.

c. "But then she said, 'Butt out' How rude!" she told me. Use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations.

The Mad Hatter turned to Alice with a grin on his face and proceeded to proudly spout his favorite riddle "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" (Carroll 7). What type of punctuation is needed after the word riddle? a. a comma b. a semicolon c. a colon d. No punctuation is needed

c. a colon If you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, use a colon (:) just before the quotation.

According to Dr. Laine professor of writing "All you have to do is start typing." Where should the commas be placed? a. after Laine and after professor. b. after According and after writing. c. after Laine and after writing. d. No commas are needed.

c. after Laine and after writing. Use commas to set off the name, nickname, term of endearment, or title of a person directly addressed. Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

Did he just say, "I'm quitting" Where should the question mark be placed? a. after say and before the comma b. after quitting but inside the quotation mark c. after quitting but outside the quotation mark d. No question mark is needed.

c. after quitting but outside the quotation mark If the quoted material is part of a bigger question, the question mark goes outside of the quotation marks.

"Let's go shopping" Amy said. "Or, would you prefer to see a movie?" Where should the comma be placed? a. after said b. after movie c. after shopping d. No comma is needed.

c. after shopping Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

Is it possible that dreams may convey "supernatural communication" (Jost) Where should the question mark be placed? a. after communication inside the quotation marks b. after Jost inside the parenthesis c. after the last parenthesis d. No question mark is needed.

c. after the last parenthesis Periods go after the last parenthesis as citation is considered part of the sentence.

Time Magazine reports, "Today's teenagers are more addicted to technology than ever" (Lauren 17) Where should the period be placed? a. after ever b. after Lauren c. after the last parenthesis d. No period is needed.

c. after the last parenthesis Periods go after the last parenthesis as citation is considered part of the sentence.

My mother always tells me, Home is where your heart is. Where should the quotation marks be placed? a. before Mother and after me b. before me and after is c. before Home and after the period d. No quotation marks are needed.

c. before Home and after the period We use quotation marks to show (or mark) the beginning and end of a word or phrase that is somehow special or comes from outside the text that we are writing.

"Try the top desk drawer" the teacher instructed "or maybe look in the file cabinet." Where should the punctuation be placed? a. comma after drawer and comma after or b. comma after instructed c. comma after drawer and comma after instructed d. No comma is needed.

c. comma after drawer and comma after instructed Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations. Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

Captain Underpants is known for joyfully saying "Tra la la la la" What punctuation is needed? a. comma after Underpants and comma after saying b. comma after saying and period outside the last quotation mark c. comma after saying and exclamation point inside the last quotation mark d. The punctuation is correct as is.

c. comma after saying and exclamation point inside the last quotation mark Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations. Exclamation marks are also used to express surprise, astonishment, or any other such strong emotion. Any exclamatory sentence can be properly followed by an exclamation mark, to add additional emphasis.

Which dialogue example is correctly formatted? a. "I really don't know" Maya pondered, "if he loves me." b. "I really don't know" Maya pondered "if he loves me." c. "I really don't know;" Maya pondered. "If he loves me." d. "I really don't know," Maya pondered, "if he loves me."

d. "I really don't know," Maya pondered, "if he loves me." Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations.

George Orwell said that "If people cannot write well, they cannot think well. If they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them" (GoodReads). Where should the comma be placed? a. after Orwell b. after that c. after them d. No comma is needed.

d. No comma is needed. When the quote is a continuation of the sentence, no comma is needed. (If the example did not have the word "that" in it, then we would need a comma before the quotation mark.)

Is it a fact that James screamed, "Get a life!"? What is wrong with the above quotation? a. The exclamation mark needs to be omitted. b. The question mark needs to be omitted. c. The comma needs to be omitted. d. Nothing is wrong.

d. Nothing is wrong. Exclamation marks are also used to express surprise, astonishment, or any other such strong emotion. Any exclamatory sentence can be properly followed by an exclamation mark, to add additional emphasis. If the quoted material is part of a bigger question, the question mark goes outside of the quotation marks.

"Do not swear by the moon ... Then your love would also change" (Shakespeare 2.2.113). What do the dots in the middle of this quotation mean? a. They indicate that words have been changed. b. They indicate that the speaker is thinking. c. They indicate that the author didn't know what to write next. d. They indicate that original words are missing.

d. They indicate that original words are missing. Use an ellipsis in the middle of a quotation to indicate that you have omitted material from the original sentence.

One of the seven commandments is changed to read, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (Orwell 106) Where should the period be placed? a. after read b. after others c. after 106 d. after the last parenthesis

d. after the last parenthesis Periods go after the last parenthesis as citation is considered part of the sentence.