Quotation Marks: Making Words Talk
What are quotation marks (” “)?
Quotation marks are punctuation marks that look like little 6s and 9s. We use them to show that someone is speaking, or to highlight special words or titles.
Using Quotation Marks for Direct Speech
When we want to show exactly what someone said, we put their words inside quotation marks.
- Example: Sarah said, “I love to eat ice cream!”
Notice that:
- The quotation marks go around the exact words spoken.
- There’s a comma before the first quotation mark.
- The punctuation mark (in this case, an exclamation point) goes inside the quotation marks.
Using Quotation Marks for Titles
We also use quotation marks around the titles of shorter works, like:
- Songs: “Yesterday” by The Beatles
- Poems: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
- Short stories: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
- Articles: “The Importance of Sleep” by Dr. Smith
- Episodes of TV shows: “The One with the Holiday Armadillo” (Friends)
Important Note: We use italics (or underline if handwriting) for the titles of longer works, like books, movies, and newspapers.
Let’s Practice!
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Add the Quotation Marks:
- My mom always says, Clean your room before you go out to play.
- My favorite song is Bohemian Rhapsody.
- Did you read the article How to Make the Perfect Pizza?
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Correct the Mistakes:
- “I love this book” said the boy.
- She sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to her baby brother.
Challenge:
Write a short dialogue between two characters. Use quotation marks correctly to show what each character says.
