Practice Makes Perfect

4. This document is important it will prove his innocence.


5. Add these names to the list Irena, Helen, Jaime, and Grace.

Quotation marksenclose the words that are said by someone. They indicate a direct quote. Look

at the difference between a direct and indirect quote:

Direct Quote Indirect Quote

He said, “Stay where you are.” He said that I should stay where I am.

She asked, “Is that Tran’s brother?” She asked if that is Tran’s brother.

Remember that all punctuation marks that belong to the quoted sentence are enclosed inside

the quotation marks:

Correct:He asked, “Does she often visit you?”

Incorrect:He asked, “Does she often visit you”?

The title of a short story or magazine article should be enclosed by quotation marks: I just read

“My Life on a Farm” by James Smith.If a quote is located within a quote, it should be enclosed by

singlequotation marks: He said, “I just read ‘My Life on a Farm’ by James Smith.”

Rewrite each sentence and add quotation marks where they are needed.

1. She asked, Why do you spend so much money?


2. I learned that from Tips for Dining Out in a restaurant magazine.


3. Rafael said, Elena’s grandfather is very ill.


4. This is going to be a big problem, he said sadly.


5. Kurt will say, I already read The Ransom of Red Chief in school.

You already know that the apostropheis used in forming contractions:

I am I’m

we are we’re

exercise 12-4

72 Practice Makes Perfect: English Grammar for ESL Learners

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