# Escape character

**Topic:** 
```eval_rst
:ref:`fundamentals:output a message`

```



With the starter code (given in `main.py`) your program will encounter a `SyntaxError`.

1. Run the program as is. Notice the `SyntaxError`.
    ```
      File "main.py", line 2
        print("Her friend said "Nice to see you!".")
                                ^
    SyntaxError: invalid syntax
    ```
    - On what line did the error happen?
    - Python gets confused with the extra quotes (`"`) in the second print statement (on line 2).
    - Python uses quotes to determine where a string starts and where a string ends. If we want to actually include a quote in a string, we need to **escape** that quote with the escape character `\`. This will tell Python to skip over that particular quote and not to use it to end the string.
2. Go back to `main.py` and comment-out line 2 by putting a number-sign (hashtag) infront of the line. For example:
    ```
    # print("Her friend said "Nice to see you!".")
    ```
3. Run the program and observe what the first print statement outputs. Notice:
    - there is no error,
    - the output *actually contains* the quote characters
    - the output doesn't contain the escape characters `\`.
4. Use the escape character (`\`) to allow the second print statement to include the quotes. Be sure to use the first print statement as an example for how to do this correctly. Also, remember to un-comment the second print statement, when you are ready to run it. The final output should look like:
    ```
    She said "Hello" to her friend.
    Her friend said "Nice to see you!".
    ```

## Starter Code
```python
print("She said \"Hello\" to her friend.")
print("Her friend said "Nice to see you!".")
```

## Tests
```python
from exercise.fixtures import captured_output


def test_escape_character(captured_output):
    assert captured_output() == "She said \"Hello\" to her friend.\nHer friend said \"Nice to see you!\"."
```