Usage of Punctuations Inside Quotation Marks
- 1. Periods and Commas In the American Style of writing, the period will appear before the last quotation mark to enclose the quoted sentence. Example: She said, “I will be visiting my friend’s place later today.” If a sentence contains multiple quotes, the period is placed before all the final quotation marks. ...
- 2. Questions and Exclamations
Does a period come before a quation Mark?
There are three basic rules you need to remember when using quotation marks with other forms of punctuation. There are absolutely no exceptions to these three rules in American English. • Commas or periods always precede closing quotation marks of quoted material.
Does quotation mark come after the period?
With only one exception, the period always comes inside closing quotation marks. This rule applies even if only one quoted word ends the sentence. Thus: He said, "We need to tell the boss right away." She reported that the boss was, in her words, "miffed."
Do you put period inside or outside quotation marks?
Wondering whether to put a period inside or outside quotes? The correct choice is almost always inside. In American usage, commas and periods at the end of quotes always go inside the quotation marks. In British usage, they can go either inside or outside.
Are commas supposed to go after or before a quotation?
That said, a comma after a quotation, be it before or after the closing quotation mark, is only necessary when the quotation is followed by an indirect or nonrestrictive remark, when the quote is split halfway, or when the quote appears either in a compound or reversed-order complex sentence structure, notwithstanding the English variant used.
When you end a sentence with a quote where does the period go?
When a comma or period is needed after a quotation, publishers in the United States typically put the punctuation mark before the closing quotation mark. The reason for this convention is to improve the appearance of the text.
Does a period come before or after a quotation?
1. The final period or comma goes inside the quotation marks, even if it is not a part of the quoted material, unless the quotation is followed by a citation. If a citation in parentheses follows the quotation, the period follows the citation.
Do quotation marks go after punctuation?
In both American English and British English, when it's part of the quote, all punctuation goes inside the closing quotation marks. This includes commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points. Punctuation that belongs to the sentence goes outside the quotation marks.
What is the rule for punctuation with quotation marks?
Quotation Marks with Commas, Periods, and Other Punctuation As in the example above, a comma is used before quotation marks to introduce a direct quote. If the description of the quote's speaker is placed after the quotation, a comma is always placed within the quotation marks.
Do you put a period after quoting a question?
When a quotation ending in a question mark or exclamation point ends a sentence, no extra period is needed.
What is an example of a sentence with quotation marks?
Use quotation marks if the word or words are meant to imply irony or sarcasm. Example: The mayor told the people of his town that he “cares” about their well-being. Use quotation marks to highlight certain words within a sentence. Example: I wrote “your” when I meant to write “you‟re.”
What is a quote mark?
Quotation marks are most often used to mark something that is spoken or, in other words, to designate a direct quote. That is, they display something that’s been said, word for word.
When to use a comma in a quote?
As in the example above, a comma is used before quotation marks to introduce a direct quote. If the description of the quote’s speaker is placed after the quotation, a comma is always placed within the quotation marks.
What is a scare quote?
Scare Quotes: Also known as air quotes, sneer quotes, or shudder quotes, scare quotes are put around a word or phrase to note atypical usage or disapproval. Oftentimes, scare quotes are used with a negative or sarcastic tone that distances the person using the scare quotes from the person (real or hypothetical) that they’re quoting.
Do you put a comma in a quotation?
In American English, commas and periods should be placed within the quotation marks as long as they do not change the meaning of the quotation. In instances where punctuation would change the meaning of the quotation—that is, when the punctuation, such as a question mark or exclamation point, does not belong to the quotation—it should be placed outside of the quotation marks.
Do you capitalize a quote in a sentence?
Alternatively, when a quote only references a fragment of a quote, a phrase, or part of a sentence, the first word of the quote does not need to be capitalized. This includes cases when a quote is interrupted by a description.
Is a quotation a punctuation?
As you’ve probably noticed, quotation marks are an extremely common set of punctuation marks. Continue your journey to grammatical excellence, and follow along with this guide to brush up on the rules of using quotation marks.
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When to use quotation marks in a sentence?
Finally, you can use quotation marks around a word or phrase when you need to show that you’re discussing the use of that word or phrase, rather than using it as part of the sentence.
How to end a quote in two parts?
If you’re splitting a quote into two separate parts, you’ll end the first section with a comma inside of the quotes and begin the second section with another comma inside the quotes: “The problem is,” Rachel said, “no one wants to listen to anyone else’s opinion.”.
Do you put periods inside quotation marks?
While Americans place periods and commas inside of quotation marks, those in the UK do the opposite. In British English, all punctuation marks go outside of the quotation marks unless the punctuation is a part of the material being quoted.
Can you use punctuation with quotation marks?
Here’s a quick guide to using punctuation with quotation marks like a pro, and you can quote us on that.
Do quotation marks go inside or outside of quotation marks?
If you’ve ever been writing a quote and found yourself wondering if that exclamation point should go inside the quotation marks or outside of them, you definitely aren’t alone . Here’s a quick guide to using punctuation with quotation marks like ...
Do exclamation points go inside quotation marks?
Overall, you can stick to this basic rule: question marks and exclamation points go inside quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted matter. If they punctuate the sentence as a whole, they go outside of the quotation marks.
Do you put a period in a quote?
In American usage, periods and commas typically go inside of quotation marks. When you’re quoting someone’s exact words, introduce the quote with open quotation marks, and end the quote with a period or comma and closing quotation marks. The teacher said, “Your essay is due on Monday.”. “I am so tired,” Mom said as she sat down on the couch.
Why do you put a comma after a quote?
The reason for this convention is to improve the appearance of the text. The convention goes back at least to the nineteenth century.
What is a comma after a double quotation?
A comma or period that follows a closing double quotation mark hangs off by itself and creates a gap in the line of text (since the space over the comma or period combines with the following word space). British publishers tend to put the comma or period after the quotation mark. But the British usually use the narrower, ...
What are the conventions of scholarly quotation?
The conventions of scholarly quotation—removing the original context, adapting the extract to fit the new context, and others— are well understood. They don’t unduly compromise the source if they’re followed carefully.
Do British use commas after quotation marks?
But the British usually use the narrower, single quotation mark as the primary quotation mark. There is less of an aesthetic penalty to placing a comma or period after a single quotation mark, since the mark of punctuation isn’t stranded as far from the previous word. It’s true that the convention followed in the United States treats ...
Short Answer
The period always goes inside the quotation marks. (This, however, is not true for other punctuation marks.)
Long Answer
The main problem that people have with using quotes is also a fundamental one: does the period at the end of the quote go inside or outside of the quotation marks?
What are some examples of periods in quotation marks?
Some more examples of periods used inside of quotation marks are: Anne called the boys "mean and nasty.". In his most charming manner he said, "I never give up.". She told him to neatly write the word "Holiday.". Alan's assignment is to read Wordsworth's "Daffodils.". Advertisement.
Where should punctuation be in quotation marks?
In American English, the general rule for question marks and exclamation marks (or points) is this: If the quoted material ends with a question mark or an exclamation mark, the punctuation should be inside the quotation marks.
What goes inside the closing quotation marks?
AP: All punctuation goes inside the closing quotation marks. This includes commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
Where do commas go in a quote?
MLA: Commas and periods directly following quotations always go inside closing quotation marks. Question marks can vary depending if the question is part of the quote, then the punctuation mark goes inside the quotation marks. If the question is not part of the direct quote, it goes outside.
Do you put periods inside or outside quotes?
Wondering whether to put a period inside or outside quotes? The correct choice is almost always inside. In American usage, commas and periods at the end of quotes always go inside the quotation marks. In British usage, they can go either inside or outside.
Do you put punctuation in quotes?
In technical writing or even in daily life, you may find situations where someone needs to input a specific word or phrase into a computer. If you include the punctuation in the quoted section, this may cause the user to input the punctuation as well as the actual word or phrase. In this case, put the punctuation outside the quotes, as in these examples:
Can a comma go inside or outside?
In British usage, they can go either inside or outside. American style guides, such as Associated Press (AP), Modern Language Association (MLA), and The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), all follow the American rule when it comes to commas and periods.
Where do commas go in a quotation?
The MLA Handbook notes, “By convention, commas and periods that directly follow quotations go inside the closing quotation marks” (267). Thus, in the following sentence, the comma is placed after taught:
Why is spacing less pronounced in British style?
In British style, spacing issues are less pronounced because it uses single quotation marks instead of double, and commas and periods are placed outside the quotation marks : ‘You’ve got to be carefully taught’, wrote Oscar Hammerstein II.
Do you put a comma inside or outside quotation marks?
This placement is traditional in the United States. William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White, writing in 1959, noted that “ [t]ypographical usage dictates the comma be inside the marks, though logically it seems not to belong there” (36). In other words, in the predigital era, when fonts were fixed-width, setting a period or comma outside the quotation marks would have created an unsightly gap:
Is there a punctuation mark outside quotation marks?
Yagoda also points to the inconsistency of the method used in the United States, which places “ other punctuation marks—semicolons, colons, exclamation points, question marks, dashes” outside quotation marks. But the editors of The Chicago Manual of Style note that “ [e]xceptions” to the British style “are widespread” (309), so in terms of consistency, neither approach is better than the other.
Do you put periods in quotation marks?
But if you are preparing a paper for a class or for publication in the United States, place periods and commas inside quotation marks.
Does a quotation mark make a typographic difference?
But Robert Bringhurst, writing in the era of digital fonts, maintains that it generally “makes no typographic difference” if quotation marks “follow commas and periods or precede them” (87). Digital typographers can close up the gap:
Rules For Using Quotation Marks
- Are you confused about whether to put a period inside or outside quotations? The most prevalent and preferable option is to always use a period inside the quotes. The preference is to do with the American and British styles of writing. Writing styles in the United States usually include commas and periods before the quotation mark. However, colons,...
Quotation Marks with Commas, Periods, and Other Punctuation
Capitalization
Other Uses For Quotation Marks