Definition: Quotation marks (") are used to show that an author is using someone else's exact words—they may be the words of a person, a character, or a written source. Use quotation marks only when quoting someone's exact words, either spoken or written. This is called a direct quotation.

How do you directly quote someone?

You'll usually use direct quotes in the middle of a paragraph. Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote, use the exact words from the original text and show your source, or your work being could be considered plagiarism.

How do you quote a sentence?

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.