Which sentence uses quotation marks and punctuation correctly?

Which sentence uses quotation marks and punctuation correctly?

• A. She asked, "Are you coming?"
• B. She asked, "Are you coming."
• C. She asked, 'Are you coming?'
• D. She asked, Are you coming?

Answer: (A)

When you report speech, the punctuation that belongs to what was said goes inside the quotation marks, and you usually introduce the quote with a comma after the reporting verb. If the spoken sentence is a question, the question mark stays inside the quotation marks. So, She asked, "Are you coming?" fits this rule: a comma after asked signals the quote, the spoken words are in double quotation marks, and the question mark is inside the quotes because the spoken sentence is a question. The sentence ends with the closing quote, which is standard for American punctuation. The other options misplace or misuse punctuation or quotation marks. A period inside the quotes would mislabel the spoken sentence as a statement. A single quote is not the standard for a primary quotation in American usage. Leaving out the comma or the quotation marks obscures who is speaking.

When you report speech, the punctuation that belongs to what was said goes inside the quotation marks, and you usually introduce the quote with a comma after the reporting verb. If the spoken sentence is a question, the question mark stays inside the quotation marks.

So, She asked, "Are you coming?" fits this rule: a comma after asked signals the quote, the spoken words are in double quotation marks, and the question mark is inside the quotes because the spoken sentence is a question. The sentence ends with the closing quote, which is standard for American punctuation.

The other options misplace or misuse punctuation or quotation marks. A period inside the quotes would mislabel the spoken sentence as a statement. A single quote is not the standard for a primary quotation in American usage. Leaving out the comma or the quotation marks obscures who is speaking.