What punctuation marks are used to set off a direct quote?

• A. Semicolons.
• B. Quotation marks.
• C. Colons.
• D. Brackets.

Answer: (B)

Direct quotes are shown with quotation marks, signaling the exact words that were spoken. The opening and closing quotation marks enclose the spoken material, helping the reader see where the speech begins and ends. Punctuation that belongs to the spoken words stays inside the quotation marks, so you’d write something like, "I'll meet you at noon." The other marks—semicolons, colons, and brackets—serve different roles in writing, such as separating closely related thoughts, introducing explanations, or adding editorial changes, but they don’t set off direct quotes.