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Grammar Girl
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Rules for Quotations
Profile pointers
The Write Stuff
100

The sentence --I went to the store and I bought fruit vegetables and meat -- needs this number of commas.

What is two?

100
In So ...We Meet at Last, Mr. Bond,” by Bob Greene, we learn that Connery is afraid of these.
What are needles?
100
When attributing a quote in a news story, you would almost always use this verb.
What is said?
100
A profile story should have at least this many voices in it.
What is three?
100
In "Mrs. Kelly's Monster," the author demonstrates this technique by discussing what Dr. Drucker is eating in the lead and the ending.
What is the circle back technique?
200

These handy devices tell the reader that what comes next is directly related to what preceded it.

What is a colon?

200
Edward Zepp takes a train to Washington, DC. to get this.
What is an honorable discharge?
200
Each time you begin a new quote you should also begin one of these.
What is a new paragraph?
200
So that you can be confident of getting a person’s dialect and direct quotations right, you might consider bringing one of these to the interview.
What is a tape recorder?
200

In Jimmy Breslin's story about the man who dug the grave for JFK, he is "It's an honor"  to illustrate this writing technique.

What is repetition?

300
The song "I Heard it through the Grapevine," is an example of this voice.
What is active voice?
300
Author Lisa Kang proved to her future in-laws that she was worthy by eating this Korean specialty.
What is a sea cucumber?
300
For direct quotations of multiple sentences, always put the attribution here.
What is after the first sentence?
300
Before interviewing someone, you should conduct this.
What is research?
300
Avoid these phrases like the plague.
What are cliches?
400
The "Himlich Maneuver" is a device to help writers remember the difference between this.
What is who vs. whom?
400
Gregory Orr was jailed in Hayneville, which is in this state.
What is Alabama?
400
Use this punctuation to indicate a quote within a quote.
What is a single quotation mark?
400
Besides description and direct quotations, this is a good device to use in a profile.
What is an anecdote?
400
Providing readers with a brief history of a place is an example of this technique.
What is light learning?
500

Sentences beginning with these two words are using a different kind of sentence structure called an expletive construction. They should be avoided.

What is there is/there are?

500
In "My Life an an Undocumented Immigrant," Jose Vargas first realized he was in the U.S. illegally when he tried to get this.
What is a drivers permit?
500
Avoid using direct quotes to relay this type of information.
What is a fact?
500
Always include this vital statistic about the person being profiled.
What is age?
500
Listen to this scene: As Marie stepped into the kitchen, she started to sweat as she saw the porcelain frying pan sitting on the stove. Pain shot through her right palm as she drew closer. This illustrates this writing technique
What is showing vs. telling?