Commas, Periods, and Quotation Marks
- Commas or periods always precede closing quotation marks of quoted material. ...
- Colons and semicolons always follow closing quotation marks of quoted material. ...
- Question marks always follow closing quotation marks unless the question mark belongs to the material being quoted, in which case the question mark precedes the closing quotation marks. ...
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.
Why do we place period inside quotation marks?
Put the period inside the quotation marks. ( This is a rule without exception. The rule for periods is still “a rule without exception,” as it was in 1906—but this time the reminder is in italics, a bit of emphasis that echoes Hart’s own insistence in 1905 on the opposite principle.
Do quotes go before or after the period?
The practice of putting the period after the quote mark is a result of computer programming experience in my opinion. A period is a delimiter for the whole sentence and the quote mark is a delimiter for the quoted text and a programmer will instinctively put an inner delimiter before an outer delimiter.
Are periods before or after quotation marks?
Observation: In the case of a colon before the quote, the period can be before or after the quotation marks. Look at the examples: The councilor told everyone present at the meeting: "It's still too early to be guided by research."
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.
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.
What is a virtual writing assistant?
As you’re getting up to speed on these and other grammar basics, a virtual writing assistant like Microsoft Editorcan help you catch all your mistakes, and help ensure that your writing is clean, clear, and communicates your very best ideas.
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.
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.
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.
Usage of Punctuations Inside Quotation Marks
Quotation marks are punctuations that come in pairs and are used to separate the exact text or speech spoken by someone.
Usage of Punctuations Outside Quotation Marks
Now, let’s look at the instances that use punctuations outside the quotation marks.
To Wrap Up
Punctuation is like a regulator attached to written work to ensure the writer conveys the intended meaning to the audience. Proper punctuation significantly strengthens the writing and the meaning.
Pam Weber
Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.
Where is the period in quotation marks?
In the British style, the period is placed inside the quotation marks if it is logically belongs there. It is place after the quotation marks if it is not logically part of the quoted material. She said, "Come up and see me sometime.".
Do you put a period before or after a quotation?
1 Answer. In American style, the period always comes before the closing quotation marks. In the British style, the placement of the period depends upon whether the period is logically part of the quoted material.
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 ...
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.”.
What does "bonjour" mean in French?
In French, bonjour means “hello.”. An obnoxious, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman is known as a “Karen.”. If you quote a complete sentence, begin the quote with a capital letter. If you’re only quoting a piece of a sentence, begin with a lowercase letter. If either instance comes at the end of the sentence, ...
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.
Do Brits use single quotation marks?
Brits also use single quotation marks for standard quotes and double quotation marks for quotes within a quote. Once again, Americans do the opposite, defaulting to double quotation marks for standard quotes, and only using single quotations when quoting something within another quote.
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 ...
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.
Rules For Using 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. 1. Example: “I’m going to be a couple minutes late to class today,” he said. In American English, commas and periods should be plac...
Capitalization
- It can sometimes be tricky to remember when to capitalize words within quotation marks. To keep it straight, follow these two simple rules: First, when quoting a full, complete sentence, the first word of that quote should always be capitalized. 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 …
Other Uses For Quotation Marks
- Quotation marks aren’t only used to capture spoken words. You might also run into, or want to use, these other uses of quotation marks: 1. Titles: While titles of longer works (e.g., full-length books, music albums, TV shows, and films) and publications (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and journals) are often written in italics, shorter pieces found within these longer works—like songs, …