Search For
   In Page


Direct Quotes III

fwu direct quotes 3 image

Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if the quote itself is a question or exclamation:

The first thing the doctor asked was, "How are you feeling today?"

The doctor bounced into the room and said, "I feel great today!"

The question mark or exclamation point goes outside the quotes if the entire sentence is a question or exclamation:

Who said, "I feel great today"?

If you misplace the question mark the spellchecker will not notice it:

Who said, "I feel great today?"

Note: use exclamation points sparingly. Overuse of this punctuation will weaken your writing. Most current writers believe the content of your writing should be enough to convey feelings of excitement without exclamation points all over the page. A possible exception is when writing dialogue. Even then too many exclamation points can make the character seem empty and the dialogue feel forced. Think of exclamation points as shouting, screaming, panicking, whining or emphasis. Shouting has its place, but people tend not to listen to you if you do nothing but shout, even if you are always happy.

Back to Contents or Next Page

line