I asked Ella, "Did he ask for his ring back?"
Correct answer: D. Back
- A. Ella
- B. Did
- C. Ask for
- D. Back
Explanation
The sentence is a reported speech, and the question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks, followed by a comma after "back" to separate the spoken words from the rest of the sentence. The correct punctuation would be:"I asked Ella, 'Did he ask for his ring back,'"The comma after "back" is essential to separate the spoken words from the rest of the sentence.
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Punctuation marks show structure, pauses, relationships and emphasis in written sentences. Questions cover commas in lists, clauses and nonessential phrases, semicolons between independent clauses, colons, apostrophes, quotation marks and hyphens, as well as the errors that create fragments, run-on sentences or comma splices.
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