Notice that there are only two punctuation marks that are used to introduce quotations: the comma and the colon (:). Note that a semicolon (;) is not used to introduce quotations.

Quotation marks and other punctuation marks In the United States, the rule of thumb is that commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks, and colons and semicolons (dashes as well) go outside: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said.

Should I use a comma at the end of a quotation, before the closing quotation mark? In American English, you should always place a comma or period inside quotation marks. If you’re uncertain who your audience will be then it’s best to always place your commas inside of quotes. That way you’ll never been seen as wrong.

(This rule makes sense too, don’t you think?) To sum up the rules on question marks: If the quoted words are a question, put the question mark inside the quotation marks. If the entire sentence is a question, put the question mark outside the quotation marks.

In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses. “Here’s a direct quote” (Smith 8). If the author’s name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the Works Cited list, such as quotation marks.

When the quote ends, use a comma inside the quotation marks, and then continue the sentence outside. If the quote ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, use it inside the quotation marks, and then continue the sentence outside the quotation marks like: “Where are you going?” she asked.

Rule: Use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation. Example: Bobbi told me, “Delia said, ‘This will never work. ‘ ” Notice that what Delia said was enclosed in single quotation marks.

For a direct quotation, always include a full citation (parenthetical or narrative) in the same sentence as the quotation, including the page number (or other location information, e.g., paragraph number). Place a parenthetical citation either immediately after the quotation or at the end of the sentence.

An MLA website citation includes the author’s name, the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the website (in italics), the publication date, and the URL (without “https://”). If the author is unknown, start with the title of the page instead.

You can use a colon before a quotation when the quotation is at least one sentence. Having a quotation that is a full sentence (or more) is far more common than having an introduction that is an independent clause. For example: (The colon is justified because the quotation is a sentence.)

Direct Quotations Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence. Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, “The alien spaceship appeared right before my own two eyes.”

Citing a quote within a quote is as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

1. List the original author’s last name.
2. Include the date of publication of the original.
3. Add ‘as cited in’ then the name of the work.
4. Follow with the publishing date of the cited work.
5. List the page the information can be found on.

A comma should also be used when listing – “We drove home, then parked the car and then finally went inside.” A comma should be placed before and after “then”. From the example: “We drove home, then, parked the car, and then, finally went inside.”

Use a comma and a conjunction to join two independent clauses. When you have two complete sentences—with two subjects and two verbs—you need more than a comma to separate them. You must join them either with a comma and a conjunction or with a semicolon, or you can make them two separate sentences.

Comma rules state that commas must be used to separate items in a series, set off non-essential information or introductory clauses, and link independent clauses to independent clauses. Commas must also be used to coordinate adjectives, set off quotations, link dependent clauses to dependent clauses, and separate words in common conventions.

The absence or presence of a comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence . For example, there’s a cannibalistic difference between “Let’s eat grandma” and “Let’s eat, grandma.” The same holds true for apostrophes, hyphens, colons, and other punctuation marks.