Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly punctuate quotations and dialogue, including the placement of commas and periods relative to quotation marks.Lesson Explanation
Quotation marks enclose someone’s exact words, whether spoken or written. In standard American usage — genuinely different from British usage — commas and periods go INSIDE the closing quotation mark, regardless of whether they were part of the original quoted material: “She said, “I’ll be there soon.”” (period stays inside, American style) In British usage, punctuation more often stays outside unless it was genuinely part of the original quotation. When a quoted sentence is interrupted by an attribution like “she said,” the quotation is split into two parts, each capitalized only if it begins a new sentence: “I’ll be there,” she said, “in about ten minutes.” (lowercase “in,” since it continues the same sentence) versus “I’ll be there soon,” she said. “Don’t wait up.” (capital “Don’t,” since it’s a new sentence). A genuinely important dialogue-specific rule: each time the speaker changes, a new paragraph begins, even if each line of dialogue is short: “Are you coming?” she asked. / “Not yet,” he replied. (two separate paragraphs, one per speaker) Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if they belong to the quoted material itself, but outside if they belong to the surrounding sentence: She asked, “Are you coming?” (question mark belongs to the quote) versus Did she really say, “I quit”? (question mark belongs to the surrounding sentence, not the quote itself).Practice Questions
1. What do quotation marks enclose?
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Someone’s exact words, spoken or written.2. In standard American usage, do commas and periods go inside or outside the closing quotation mark?
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Inside.3. Is this the same convention used in British usage?
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No — British usage more often keeps punctuation outside unless it was part of the original quotation.4. When an attribution like “she said” interrupts a quoted sentence, is the second part capitalized if it continues the same sentence?
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No, it stays lowercase.5. Write an example where the second part of an interrupted quotation stays lowercase.
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“I’ll be there,” she said, “in about ten minutes.”6. If the second part of a split quotation begins a genuinely new sentence, is it capitalized?
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Yes.7. In dialogue, when does a new paragraph begin?
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Each time the speaker changes.8. Does a new paragraph begin for each new speaker even if their lines are short?
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Yes.9. When does a question mark go inside the closing quotation mark?
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When the question mark belongs to the quoted material itself.10. When does a question mark go outside the closing quotation mark?
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When it belongs to the surrounding sentence, not the quote.11. Write “She asked, “Are you coming?”” — why does the question mark go inside?
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Because the question belongs to the quoted material.12. Write “Did she really say, “I quit”?” — why does the question mark go outside?