Though not necessarily logical, the american rules for multiple punctuation with quotation. Do commas and periods go inside or outside quotation marks. It also covers punctuation with speech marks and reported speech. Periods with quotation marks grammar and punctuation. Single quotation marks are valid only within a quotation, as per rule 7, above. Dashes, semicolons, question marks and exclamation points go within quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only.
The general rule is that commas and periods are placed inside the quotation marks. Similarly, as shown in the purdue owl, a typical mla citation may be, this phenomenon is best referred to as a cumulative collaboration of evidence pepper. Thus, in the following sentence, the comma is placed after taught. In mla format, any number that can be written in two words is written out. Should the closing sentence punctuation go inside or outside the. According to the film critic, one of the most widely acclaimed actors in history, humphrey bogart, is quoted as saying, i dont like acting. Punctuation usually goes inside quotation marks, especially in. Is it ever proper to place punctuation outside of quotes. With other punctuation a question mark or exclamation mark at the end of dialogue always goes inside the quotation marks.
For periods, americans generally put the period inside the quotes, and the british generally put them outside. Quotation marks and punctuation daily writing tips. Should ending punctuation go inside or outside quotation marks. As you can see from the example, the opening quotation mark is placed at the beginning of the dialogue, and the closing quotation mark is placed at the end of the dialogue. In the example given in the question, the list is of a series of terms, or elements. In the text, words such as greenbacks, ironclads, and blockade were used. British versus american style the punctuation guide. Commas always go inside quotation marks in the united states when the comma follows the text in quotation marks. Periods and commas always go within quotation marks. When do commas or periods go inside quotation marks and. In one way, reported speech without inverted commas is. No other punctuation is needed outside the quotation marks.
Does punctuation go inside or outside of quotation marks. Never place the period outside the quotation marks. Youve got to be carefully taught, wrote oscar hammerstein ii. When the quotation is merged into a clause, no punctuation is necessary to divide them. Rules for punctuating quotations inside quotations dummies. The semicolon should be placed outside ending quotation marks. Also note that in dialogue the final full stop is always inside the quotation marks as it is the end of the quoted material. You typically only put the punctuation inside the quotes if you are writing dialogue or if you are quoting a sentence that includes punctuation. Despite having settled their differences shortly after the boston tea party, britain and america are. Unfortunately, the rules governing whether to place punctuation inside or outside speech marks are not straightforward. Commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes are always outside the quotes. They can be used to denote alleged or socalled, and they can be used for the names of ships, plays, etc. Place other punctuation inside quotation marks when that punctuation is part of what is being quoted, such as a quoted question.
Quotation marks punctuation rules the blue book of. Whether a question mark or an exclamation point should appear inside or outside the quotation marks depends on the meaning. This is the american english rule this newsletter, the blue book of grammar and punctuation, and. Today, as promised, well talk about how to mix quotation marks with other punctuation. The setting for punctuation required with quotes is a word global setting.
This, however, is not true for other punctuation marks. The standard rule in american punctuation is that periods go inside quotation marks, as do most commas, even if the punctuation is not part of the quote. If youre writing with british standards, commas, periods, question marks and others fall naturally. Question marks are placed outside quotation marks if they are not included in the quoted part, just like your example. The mla handbook notes, by convention, commas and periods that directly follow quotations go inside the closing quotation marks 88. It is outside the quotation mark because it does not follow any quoted text. In this article, we explain how to use quotation marks with other. In your example, there are no quotation marks necessary. The period is unique among punctuation marks in that, yes, it always goes. In a town outside brisbane, i saw tourists go home written on a wall. If the quotation is a question or exclamation, put the question mark or exclamation point inside the quotation marks. Punctuation inside or outside quotation speech marks. Now, keep in mind that this comma and period inside the quotation marks business is strictly american usage. The table below elaborates, with examples for each punctuation mark.
However, they are placed inside quotation marks if they are part of a quote. Is it correct to use punctuation outside of the quotations, or inside. Place other punctuation marks inside quotation marks only when they are part of the quoted material. Twain wrote, if books are not good company, where will i find it. How to punctuate quotations in an essay bbc bitesize. British style more sensibly places unquoted periods and commas outside the quotation marks. When the quoted matter ends with a semicolon, the semicolon in the quotation is dropped. Note that the period goes inside both the single and double quotation marks.
Quotation marks with periods and commas grammar girl. A comma is used between a direct quotation and a preceding or following clause, while no comma is used before a quotation. Commas and periods that are part of the overall sentence go inside the quotation. The exclamation mark at the end of the first statement is sufficient end punctuation. One of the most common question people ask me is whether periods and commas go inside or outside a closing quotation mark, and theres a reason everyone is confused. Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence.
Punctuation required with quotes in microsoft word. 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. Why do periods and commas go inside quotation marks in mla. When writing a list in which the items are in quotations. In all cases of usage involving quotation marks again, american usage, not british, commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks while semicolons and colons always go outside.
The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. For all other punctuation, the british and american styles are in agreement. Place periods and commas within closing single or double quotation marks. Should they go outside of the quotation marks or inside. This is a case in which the accepted british and american english authorities appear to offer conflicting advice but see final paragraph. Colons and semicolons should be outside the quotation marks. Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself. Despite having settled their differences shortly after the boston tea party, britain and america are still fighting over grammar rules.
We would also, then, put periods and commas outside quotation marks instead of inside. This months issue of grammar guru magazine contains articles titled making every comma count. We can ask my mother, said elizabeth, shell understand. So, the american rule is always place the comma and the period inside the quotation. Use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
Theres no way to change the setting at the document, style or. Place full points and commas inside the quotes for a complete quoted sentence. In other words, in the predigital era, when fonts were fixedwidth, setting a period or comma outside the quotation marks would have created an unsightly gap. Because the quoted material is set off from the main text, it is not necessary to use. The period goes outside of the quotation mark when using a parenthetical reference. The period at the end of the second example belongs inside the quotation marks. Do i put the period inside or outside the quotation marks. If you follow british english rules, then bart is correct and you must use. Elsewhere, quotations usually follow a logical rule instead, putting commas and periods outside the quotation marks unless theyre part of the quotation. You should nest single speech marks within doubles. The quoted text is capitalized if youre quoting a complete sentence and not capitalized. When quoted material runs more than one paragraph, start each new paragraph with opening quotation marks, but do not use closing quotation marks until the end of the passage. Quotation speech marks are used to show actual words spoken or written. Other marks of punctuation with quotation marks when a semicolon or a colon appears at the end of a quotation, put it outside the quotation mark.
Essentials punctuation of quotations hamilton college. Semicolons and colons outside exclamation marks and question marks according to logic commas and periodsfull stops inside in the us, outside in the uk. The issue is complicated because there are two different accepted answers. One issue that comes up when you use quotation marks is where to put other punctuation like periods, commas, and question marks. If the quote is capturing something emotional or important said by the person, include the period or exclamation inside the quotes.
The debate comes in when the quotes naturally go around a phrase that is a. Question mark or exclamation point not part of quoted material, outside, how will. Commas and periods follow the same rules in both double and single quotations. At book cave weve posted on dialogue tags and on whether or not to use single or double quotes, but often there is confusion about where to put punctuation in relation to the quotation marks. In his novel white noise, don delillo neatly summarizes the materialist. Publication manual, as do several other major style guides such as ap, chicago, and mla. Wrong in book thirteen of the odyssey, homer writes. The comma and period always go inside a quotation within another quotation when there is no parenthetical reference. Quotes without a colon end with the quotation mark inside the full stop, like this. They are inclined to place commas and periods logically rather than conventionally, depending on whether the punctuation belongs to the quotation or to the sentence that contains the quotation, just as we do with question marks and exclamation points. In the first example, there is no carrier sentence so the full stop belongs within the quotation marks. Proper use of quotation marks in fiction writing firstediting. While this example demonstrates commas inside quotation marks, the period is not inside quotation marks because the quotation marks are not at the end of the sentence. According to the american style, the commas and periods or full stops always go inside the quotation marks.
Some are included within the quotation marks, if it makes sense, and other are outside of it. Single quotation marks are used inside double quotation marks when you have a quotation or title within a quotation. The character of scrooge is described as selfcontained, and solitary as an oyster. Guidelines for capitalizing and punctuating quotations. Also, as an oxford dictionaries article notes, british english usually uses single quotation marks. If the quotation includes material already in quotation marks, see section 8. This is a punctuation lesson on using quotation marks. Punctuation inside quotations punctuation that appears in the original text should be used in the quotation. Roosevelt spoke of december 7, 1941, as a day that will live in infamy. The debate about logical punctuation suggests two things. They go outside quotation marks when they apply to the whole sentence. Quotation marks are primarily used to indicate material that is being reproduced word for word, as well as some other important uses. If the quotation is preceded by a form of a word like say, reply, or answer, that word is followed by a comma. Quotations within quotations grammar and punctuation.
When the quotation is merged into a clause, no punctuation is necessary to. Keep in mind that american english places punctuation periods, commas, etc. The chicago manual of style says that periods and commas precede closing quotation marks. In america, commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. You should not insert additional punctuation marks into the sentence merely to. The agency approved those agreements having no significant impact on. Lim always say to her students, you must work harder. As you might guess from our name, apa style uses american style punctuation see p. Lolas words are inside single quotation marks and lulus complete statement is in double quotation marks.
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