What punctuation is unacceptable?

Quotation marks, if appropriate, must be used before and after the sentence. They should be used in pairs. They denote actual spoken or written words taken from a person or other source.

"What a crime."

This answer would be a correct answer. The other choices come from actual statements, questions, or exclamations.

A quotation within a quotation would look a little different.

"The newspaper headline, ' What a crime !' was over dramatic."

Notice, the same rule applies, as the quotation marks are used in pairs.

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What are your thoughts on this subject?

92 Comments

Lisa Curran

Disagree, especially since the quotation marks at the beginning of the sentence are missing.

teacherchicky

They're saying it's unacceptable because there aren't quotation marks at the beginning, only at the end...get it?! I'm an English teacher so I should know this punctuation fau paux!

Donna Miller

Lisa Curran, Regardless the proper punctuation is the quotation marks first and then the period to end the sentence which the quotation marks are part of.

Gordon Harmer

Joanne Serin, completely correct if it is quoting something someone said.

Gordon Harmer

Lisa Curran, Exactly! that's what makes it unacceptable.

gradydxn

Quotation Mark's were not used in any of the 4 answers. Quotation Mark's were at the end of one answer which is improper. This was a bad example.

Charles Fish

Joanne, quotes around incomplete sentences are acceptable as they are often quoting someone speaking or dialogue in a book. I assume you've read a book.

Lynne Zeman

Bogus. Each example would be correct based on the circumstances, speech pattern, intonation etc. Whoever approved this Q & A should read the quiz takers comments and vow never, ever to allow this type of ambiguous question to be published again.