What is the beginning of a quote?

Okay, so, you're wondering about how to start a quote, right? Well, it's actually pretty simple, and honestly, something I used to mess up all the time!

Basically, you kick things off with an opening quotation mark – that little curved line that kind of hugs the first word. Like this: ". See?

Think of it like a little doorway letting the reader know, "Hey, heads up! These aren't my words, someone else said this cool (or not-so-cool) thing!" You know?

It's like, if I were to tell you what my grandma always says: "Always wear clean underwear, you never know when you'll be in an accident!" See how I used the quotation marks? I didn't want you to think I was the one constantly thinking about underwear-related accidents. Haha!

The main thing is, the quotation marks enclose the exact words being quoted and using both the beginning and the end quote marks, like my grandma saying, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Otherwise, it would be confusing. Where does her quote start and end if there isn't both an open and closed quote? And, if it's not her quote, then who said it?

So, yeah, opening quotation mark at the beginning. Easy peasy, right? But trust me, it's a small thing that makes a big difference in making your writing clear. We all miss those details sometimes, I know I sure have.