Question

in the following passage, which sentences use single quotation marks correctly? select the two that apply.

lisa said, \when the appraiser said, its good news, i wasnt sure what to think!\ she paused, and barb asked, \well? what was the good news?\ \he said the coin collection i found in the attic was extremely rare and that its worth $100,000!\ she exclaimed.

answer
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lisa said, \when the appraiser said, its good news, i wasnt sure what to think!\ she paused, and barb asked, \well? what was the good news?\ \he said the coin collection i found in the attic was extremely rare and that its worth $100,000!\ she exclaimed.

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Quotation Marks Rules
Quotes inside other quotes use single marks.

Step 1: Understand the rule for single quotation marks

In American English, single quotation marks (' ') are primarily used to enclose a quotation, direct speech, or a title within another quotation that is already enclosed in double quotation marks (" ").

Single quotation marks should not be used for emphasis or for standard dialogue that is not nested inside another quote.

Step 2: Analyze the first sentence

• Sentence: "Lisa said, "When the appraiser said, 'It's good news,' I wasn't sure what to think!""
• Analysis: Here, Lisa is speaking (indicated by the outer double quotation marks starting before When and ending after think!). Inside her spoken words, she quotes what the appraiser said (It's good news). Because this is a quote inside a quote, it correctly uses single quotation marks: 'It's good news.'
• Verdict: Correct.

Step 3: Analyze the second sentence

• Sentence: "She paused, and Barb asked, 'Well? What was the good news?'"
• Analysis: This is a direct quote from Barb. Since it is not nested inside another quotation, it should be enclosed in standard double quotation marks (" ") instead of single quotation marks (' ').
• Verdict: Incorrect.

Step 4: Analyze the third sentence

• Sentence: ""He said the coin collection I found in the attic was 'extremely rare' and that it's worth $100,000!" she exclaimed."
• Analysis: The speaker is exclaiming a statement (enclosed in double quotation marks). Inside her exclamation, she is quoting the specific words used by another person (extremely rare). Since this phrase is nested inside the double-quoted exclamation, it correctly uses single quotation marks: 'extremely rare'.
• Verdict: Correct.

Answer:

The two sentences that use single quotation marks correctly are:

1. Lisa said, "When the appraiser said, 'It's good news,' I wasn't sure what to think!"
2. "He said the coin collection I found in the attic was 'extremely rare' and that it's worth $100,000!" she exclaimed.