If you place quotation marks around a letter or number, usually the period or comma falls outside the quotes. Consider the following example: I got three “Bs” and an “A”. This is the only incidence that ignores the fact that most periods go inside quotation marks.
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 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.
Do quotation marks come before or after a period?
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? The period is unique among punctuation marks in that, yes, it always goes inside the quotation marks.
Do quotation marks go before a period?
Do quotation marks go before or after a period? In the United States, the rule of thumb is that commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks, and colons and semicolons (dashes as well) go outside: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said.
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 go on the inside or outside of quotations?
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: “You've got to be carefully taught,” wrote Oscar Hammerstein II.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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, …