Period FAQs

when does a period go outside quotes

by Mrs. Thora Jakubowski Sr. Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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If the quoted words are embedded within a sentence that is an exclamation or question, then the punctuation goes outside the quotation marks, like this:

  • Who said the line, “I’m the king of the world”?
  • How did the coach know it was me who said, “I don’t want to be on this team”?
  • You have to read the article “UFOs Are Real”!

Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence. Phillip asked, "Do you need this book?" Does Dr. Lim always say to her students, "You must work harder"?

Full Answer

Does the period always go inside 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.

When can period live outside quotation mark?

When a period or comma is next to an end quotation mark, the period or comma must go before the end quotation mark: He said, "It will rain today." Not today". When a quote is a question or an exclamation, the question mark or the exclamation point is part of the quote and belongs before the end quotation mark: She asked, “Will it rain today?”

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.

Does period go inside parentheses?

Periods go inside parentheses only if an entire sentence is inside the parentheses. Example: Please read the analysis. (You'll be amazed.) This is a rule with a lot of wiggle room.

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Do you put a period in a quotation?

For people in the United States, periods and commas go inside the quotation marks.

Do you need to punctuate after a colon?

In the second example, when a question or exclamation mark comes at the end of a sentence, there’s no need for an additional ending punctuation after the quote marks.

Should you leave a colon in a quote?

Is the colon, semicolon, parenthesis, exclamation point, or question mark a part of the direct quote? If that’s the case, you should leave it as part of the quotation, placing it inside the quotation marks.

Do exclamation points go inside or outside the quotation marks?

For instance, the rules about whether to include exclamation points inside or outside the quotation marks may vary from guide to guide. Luckily, when it comes to periods and commas, the answer to whether they go inside or outside the quotation mark is much simpler. If you’re using American English, they go inside.

Does Punctuation Go Inside Quotation Marks

Whether youre writing dialogue or citing information in a paper, its natural to wonder about quotation mark rules. Does punctuation go inside quotation marks? The answer depends on the type of punctuation you are using. This simple break-down, including American and British rules, and quick reference guide will help.

When You End A Sentence With A Quote Where Does The Period Go Canada

Again, in Canada the American style predominates: periods and commas go inside closing quotation marks all other marks go inside if they belong with the quoted material, outside if they dont. Colons and semicolons deserve a special mention. If they occur at the end of quoted material, it is conventional to drop them.

Important Exception: When The Quoted Word Is A User Input

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.

Introducing The Quoted Material: When To Use A Comma Colon Period Or No Punctuation At All

The comma is the mark most frequently used to introduce quoted material.

Use Parentheses For Acronyms And Abbreviations

Lastly, we can use parentheses to disclose official acronyms or abbreviations for titles or proper names. To avoid writing the same title throughout your work, introduce the full title with an official abbreviation in parentheses, and then use the acronym for there on out. For example,

Check With Your Favorite Style Guide

When in doubt, check with your favorite style guide: APA Style, The Chicago Manual of Style, or MLA Style. For instance, the rules about whether to include exclamation points inside or outside the quotation marks may vary from guide to guide.

Does The Period Go Inside Or Outside The Quote

Would you believe this is the most common mistake writers make when punctuating dialogue? When completing a spoken sentence, the period always goes inside the quote.

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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.

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