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
Do the quotation marks come before or after the period?
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. The convention goes back at least to the nineteenth century.
Do the quotes come after period?
The answer is yes. It basically depends on the audience you are writing for. If you are in the US, the period goes “inside the closed quote mark.” If you are outside of the US, the period goes “outside the closed quote mark”. In the US, the period (and the comma) ALWAYS come before the ending quotation mark. There are no exceptions.
Do you put quotation marks after 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."
Is there a comma before or after a quote?
There is only a choice between a comma and a colon when the quotation is being introduced. Only a comma can be used after a quotation. For example: Paul looked over the hedge and shouted: "You can keep half of the strawberries you pick."
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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Why does the period go before the quotation mark?
It depends on the type of your sentence. In the following sentence, the period goes before the quotation mark because the end of the quote is the end of the sentence:
What does a full stop mean in a quote?
In British English, a full stop appears before a quotation mark if:#N#a) The quoted text is a complete sentence in and of itself.#N#b) A full-stop is an intrinsic part of the text quoted.
What punctuation goes outside of speech?
The general rule in UK English is only punctuation relevant to speech goes within speech marks, so question marks, exclamation marks, ellipsis, a full stop after an abbreviation, etc. Every thing relevant to the sentence as a a whole goes outside.
Do you put period in quotation marks?
Therefore, you should follow the American convention, which is to always put the period inside the quotation mark.
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?
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.”.
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 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.
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, …