Do you put a comma before a quote in a sentence?

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.

What punctuation do you use before a quote?

Rule 1: Complete sentence: “quotation.” (If you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, use a colon (:) just before the quotation.) Rule 2: Someone says, “quotation.” (If the word just before the quotation is a verb indicating someone uttering the quoted words, use a comma.

How do you punctuate quotes in an essay?

In a quotation it’s important to make sure you use the exact words from the original text. In most literature essays, it’s better to use shorter quotations in a precise way rather than write out very long quotations. You can use single inverted commas ‘ ‘ or double quotation marks “ ” to punctuate the quotation.

When to use commas before quotations?

A comma can be used before a quotation when the quotation is introduced with a term like He said or She shouted. A colon can also be used. As a useful guideline, use a comma for a quotation of six words or fewer and colon for a longer quotation.

Is there a comma before or after a quote?

The rules for using a comma before quotation marks can seem arbitrary, but you only need to commit a couple to memory. Use a comma after verbs of communication introducing a quotation and between split quotations.

Do quotation marks go after comma?

Commas always go inside quotation marks in the United States when the comma follows the text in quotation marks. Example: “We can ask my mother,” said Elizabeth, “she’ll understand.”. Note the comma after Elizabeth.

Is there comma after quotation marks?

The quoted text itself should never either start or end with a comma. So the answer is you can only put a comma before the quote mark that introduces a quote, or after the quote mark that terminates a quote.