Unit 62 • Level: A2

Quotation Marks

Can-do: I can use quotation marks to show direct speech and punctuate them correctly.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A beautifully illustrated modern classroom infographic showing a cartoon teacher pointing to a whiteboard where direct speech punctuation rules are clearly laid out, with a friendly manatee popping up in a small ocean bubble graphic nearby.]

1. Vocabulary Focus

Word / POS Definition Translation Contextual Example
manatee
noun		 a large sea animal that looks like a seal lợn biển Have you ever seen a manatee at the zoo?
marine
adjective		 related to the sea or ocean thuộc về biển Biologists study marine life in the Pacific Ocean.
mammal
noun		 an animal that feeds its babies with milk động vật có vú A manatee is a large marine mammal.
endangered
adjective		 at risk of disappearing or dying out completely có nguy cơ tuyệt chủng We must protect endangered species like the sea cow.
inform
verb		 to give someone facts or information thông báo Don informed me that many manatees live in Florida.
coast
noun		 the land next to or close to the sea bờ biển They live in waters off the coast of Texas.
weigh
verb		 to have a specific weight or heaviness cân nặng Some large manatees weigh over 1,000 pounds.
exclaim
verb		 to cry out suddenly from surprise or emotion thốt lên “Oh!” he exclaimed when he saw the animal.
add
verb		 to say something more after a previous statement thêm vào “They are also called sea cows,” Don added.

2. Grammar Theory

Point 1: Direct Speech with Quotation Marks

Use quotation marks (” “) at the beginning and the end of the exact words a person says. This shows the reader exactly what was spoken aloud.

Structure: “Exact words person says.”
  • “Have you ever seen a manatee?” I asked Don.
  • “I have read about them,” he said.
  • “Yes, they are very large,” I answered.

Point 2: Punctuation in Quotations

Use commas to separate the quote from the rest of the sentence (the reporting tag like he said or she asked). Crucially, you must keep periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation marks inside the quotation marks.

Structure: Subject said, “Sentence.” OR “Sentence,” said Subject.
  • Don added, “I read that they are called sea cows.” (Note the comma before the quote and period inside)
  • “What other marine life is endangered?” Don asked. (Question mark stays inside)
  • “Oh!” he exclaimed loudly. (Exclamation mark stays inside)
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A serene wildlife photo format showing two manatees swimming peacefully under clear turquoise coastal waters near Florida, with gentle sunlight filtering down through the ripples.]

3. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching

Match each word on the left with its correct definition or translation context on the right by writing the letter.

  • 1. manatee ______      A. Related to the sea or ocean (thuộc về biển)
  • 2. marine ______      B. To have a specific weight or heaviness (cân nặng)
  • 3. mammal ______      C. At risk of disappearing completely (có nguy cơ tuyệt chủng)
  • 4. endangered ______   D. A large sea animal that looks like a seal (lợn biển)
  • 5. coast ______        E. An animal that feeds its babies with milk (động vật có vú)
  • 6. weigh ______        F. The land next to or close to the sea (bờ biển)
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. D – manatee is a large sea animal looking like a seal. (Lợn biển là loài động vật biển lớn trông giống hải cẩu.)
2. A – marine means related to the sea. (Marine nghĩa là liên quan đến đại dương/biển.)
3. E – mammal is an animal feeding babies with milk. (Mammal là động vật nuôi con bằng sữa mẹ.)
4. C – endangered means at risk of dying out. (Endangered nghĩa là có nguy cơ tuyệt chủng.)
5. F – coast is land next to the sea. (Coast là vùng đất sát biển, bờ biển.)
6. B – weigh means to have a specific heaviness. (Weigh nghĩa là có trọng lượng, cân nặng bao nhiêu.)
Exercise 2: Vocabulary Gap Fill
manatee • marine • mammal • endangered • inform • exclaim • add

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank. Use each word exactly once.

  1. The blue whale is a beautiful creature that spends its whole life in the ocean.
  2. “Look at that massive splash!” did the excited boy .
  3. A human is a warm-blooded , just like whales and dolphins.
  4. Please the teacher if you are going to miss the field trip tomorrow.
  5. Because people hunted them, many species became deeply .
  6. The herbivorous loves eating seagrass in shallow coastal areas.
  7. “They are very gentle,” our guide decided to to the description.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. marine – fits ‘creature’ living in the ocean. (Sinh vật thuộc về biển/đại dương.)
2. exclaim – denotes crying out out of excitement. (Thốt lên đầy phấn khích khi nhìn cá voi nhảy.)
3. mammal – humans, whales, and dolphins are all mammals. (Động vật có vú.)
4. inform – means to give information or notify the teacher. (Thông báo/báo cho giáo viên biết.)
5. endangered – describes species at risk of extinction. (Bị đe dọa tuyệt chủng.)
6. manatee – the gentle animal eating seagrass. (Lợn biển ăn cỏ biển.)
7. add – means saying something extra to a statement. (Nói thêm vào lời giải thích.)
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice (Punctuation Placement)

Choose the sentence that is punctuated perfectly according to direct speech standards.

  1. 1. Which sentence is correct?
  2. 2. Which sentence is correct?
  3. 3. Which sentence is correct?
  4. 4. Which sentence is correct?
  5. 5. Which sentence is correct?
  6. 6. Which sentence is correct?
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. B – The comma must be inside the quotation marks. (Dấu phẩy phải nằm bên trong dấu ngoặc kép.)
2. A – Requires a comma before the quote and a period inside it. (Cần có dấu phẩy trước trích dẫn và dấu chấm bên trong ngoặc.)
3. C – The question mark belongs inside the quotation marks. (Dấu hỏi chấm phải nằm gọn bên trong dấu ngoặc kép.)
4. A – Exclamation point belongs inside since it is part of the spoken word. (Dấu chấm than nằm bên trong ngoặc vì thuộc câu nói.)
5. A – Use a comma inside instead of a full period because the reporting verb follows. (Dấu phẩy nằm trong ngoặc vì vế sau là ‘she added’.)
6. C – Direct quotes must start with a capital letter. (Từ đầu tiên của câu trích dẫn trực tiếp phải viết hoa.)
Exercise 4: True or False (Grammar Assessment)

Read the statements regarding direct punctuation and determine if they are True or False.

  1. Periods should be placed outside quotation marks if the quotation ends the sentence.
    Answer: [    ] True    [    ] False
  2. Quotation marks always come in pairs at the beginning and end of direct speech.
    Answer: [    ] True    [    ] False
  3. You do not need a comma to separate the speaker from the dialogue if you use a question mark.
    Answer: [    ] True    [    ] False
  4. The first word inside the quotation marks should start with a lower-case letter if it is a complete sentence.
    Answer: [    ] True    [    ] False
  5. “They are endangered” explained the marine expert is missing commas and quotation marks.
    Answer: [    ] True    [    ] False
  6. Exclamation marks can remain outside quotation marks if the speaker felt deeply surprised.
    Answer: [    ] True    [    ] False
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. False – Periods go inside the quotation marks in standard grammar. (Sai. Dấu chấm phải nằm bên trong ngoặc kép.)
2. True – Quotation marks are matching sets. (Đúng. Dấu ngoặc kép luôn đi theo cặp mở và đóng.)
3. True – When ending a quote with a question mark, no extra comma is used. (Đúng. Nếu câu trích có dấu chấm hỏi thì không thêm dấu phẩy nữa.)
4. False – It must start with a capital letter. (Sai. Từ đầu tiên trong ngoặc kép phải viết hoa.)
5. True – It needs a comma inside the quotation marks. (Đúng. Câu này đang bị thiếu dấu phẩy ngăn cách trước từ ‘explained’.)
6. False – Exclamation marks must stay inside if they belong to the speech. (Sai. Dấu chấm than thuộc câu nói phải ở trong ngoặc.)
Exercise 5: Sentence Reordering

Rearrange the provided fragments to create a grammatically correct direct speech sentence. Ensure punctuation marks are placed properly.

  1. Fragments: said, / “Manatees / are / mammals.” / Don
    Your Answer:
  2. Fragments: “Weigh / over / 1,000 pounds,” / they / she added.
    Your Answer:
  3. Fragments: “Is / endangered?” / marine / asked Lily / life
    Your Answer:
  4. Fragments: he / “Oh no!” / exclaimed.
    Your Answer:
  5. Fragments: the teacher / “Protect / the coast,” / informed.
    Your Answer:
  6. Fragments: “Have you / a manatee?” / asked / ever seen / Tom
    Your Answer:
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. Don said, “Manatees are mammals.” (Đúng cấu trúc chủ ngữ + nói + dấu phẩy + câu trích dẫn.)
2. “They weigh over 1,000 pounds,” she added. (Câu nói nằm trước, dấu phẩy đặt trong ngoặc kép.)
3. “Is marine life endangered?” asked Lily. (Dấu chấm hỏi nằm cuối câu nói trực tiếp bên trong ngoặc.)
4. “Oh no!” he exclaimed. (Dấu chấm than nằm trong ngoặc, theo sau là động từ thốt lên.)
5. “Protect the coast,” the teacher informed. (Cấu trúc câu trích dẫn mệnh lệnh có phẩy ở trong ngoặc.)
6. “Have you ever seen a manatee?” Tom asked. (Sắp xếp hoàn chỉnh câu hỏi trực tiếp.)
Exercise 6: Grammar Selection (Identify & Fix)

Identify the error in each sentence and rewrite the sentence with absolute correct quotation punctuation.

  1. “I love marine animals”. said Mary.
    Fix:
  2. Ben asked “Is the manatee safe from hunters?”
    Fix:
  3. “We must act now”! the speaker exclaimed.
    Fix:
  4. “many mammals live here,” Don added.
    Fix:
  5. The expert added, “The coast is beautiful.”
    Fix:
  6. “Do you know how much they weigh”, asked Tim?
    Fix:
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. “I love marine animals,” said Mary. – Changed period to comma inside quote. (Sửa dấu chấm thành dấu phẩy bên trong ngoặc kép.)
2. Ben asked, “Is the manatee safe from hunters?” – Added missing comma after ‘asked’. (Thêm dấu phẩy còn thiếu sau từ ‘asked’.)
3. “We must act now!” the speaker exclaimed. – Moved exclamation mark inside quotation marks. (Đưa dấu chấm than vào trong ngoặc kép.)
4. “Many mammals live here,” Don added. – Capitalized ‘Many’. (Viết hoa chữ cái đầu ‘Many’ của câu nói trực tiếp.)
5. The expert added, “The coast is beautiful.” – (Already correct, tests attention to detail). (Câu này đã đúng hoàn toàn.)
6. “Do you know how much they weigh?” asked Tim. – Moved question mark inside quote and ended with period. (Chuyển dấu hỏi vào trong ngoặc và đặt dấu chấm ở cuối câu kể.)
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A close-up graphic of an open workbook showing student corrections on direct speech exercises using a vibrant green pen, symbolizing successful mastery.]
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