I was thinking, if youre quoting a sentence that has a period, the period goes inside the quotation marks. Commas and periods that are part of the overall sentence go inside the quotation marks, even though they arent part of the. Dec 26, 20 the most common question people ask about quotation marks is whether periods and commas go inside or outside, and the answer depends on where your audience lives because in american english we always put periods and commas inside quotation marks, but in british english periods and commas can go inside or outside kind of like the american rules. Take care to punctuate correctly when punctuation is required both inside and outside parentheses. If the quotation is a sentence, then the period should be inside the quotation marks. The rules for longer works, such as books, are tricky. As a general rule, you should use a comma to introduce quoted. When type was handset, a period or comma outside of quotation marks at the end of a sentence tended to get knocked out of position, so the printers tucked the little devils inside the quotation marks to keep them safe and out of trouble. I was taught to place punctuation inside quotes either double or single. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best. If you want to add any other punctuation such as an exclamation or question mark that does not appear in the material you quote, i would put it outside of the. Why do periods and commas go inside quotation marks in mla style. Quotations within quotations grammar and punctuation. Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside.
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. Bindle, to todays youth, means a small pack of drug powder. Exclamation points and question marks can go inside or outside the quotation marks, depending on the meaning of the sentence. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Last month, daniel covered some of the basic rules for using quotation marks. On a slightly different note, if you are adding punctuation that does not appear in the material you are quoting, i would only put that punctuation inside of the quotation marks if it is a comma or a period. Single quotation marks versus double quotation marks grammar. Punctuation inside parenthesis and quotation marks. 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. Do periods and commas go inside or outside quotation marks.
Quotation marks used around words to give special effect or to indicate irony are usually unnecessary. The period is unique among punctuation marks in that, yes. The most common mistake is the use of quotations outside of the spoken word. How to use quotation marks grammar lessons youtube. Apr, 2016 one question which always pops up is the proper usage of punctuation marks. Sep 21, 2017 today, as promised, well talk about how to mix quotation marks with other punctuation. This is interesting and has been on my mind for quite some time. Also note that, as a courtesy, there is visible space between adjacent single and double quotation marks. Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence. Rules for punctuating quotations inside quotations dummies. Heres an example from this weeks grammar girl podcast and article about christmas carols.
This is my style of punctuation which i will adhere to. Jessi rita hoffman book editing by an industry professional. Incorrect dialogue punctuation and formatting is common among beginning fiction writers. Does punctuation go inside or outside quotation marks. The period after the parentheses is necessary to bring the entire sentence to a close. Youve got to be carefully taught, wrote oscar hammerstein ii. The colon, semicolon, dash, question mark, and exclamation point fall inside quotation marks if they belong with the quoted matter i. Period inside or outside the quotation marks book edits.
In my opinion, a period only goes inside quotation marks if the period ends a sentence contained in a dialog. When do periods go inside parentheses and when do periods go outside parenthesis. Period inside or outside the quotation marks book edits by. If they belong to the quoted text, they are placed inside, otherwise they are placed outside. Oct 07, 20 when youre using quotation marks, its hard to know where the adjacent punctuation is supposed to go. Unfortunately, the rules governing whether to place punctuation inside or outside speech marks are not straightforward. Does a period go inside or outside of quotation marks. Period goes inside quotation marks daily writing tips. Punctuating with quotation marks get it write online.
When you write a quote within a quote, what type of punctuation is used around the quote within the quote. This is one of those style book questions, and style books can vary, especially when they come from opposite sides of big bodies of water. And in britain, they also sometimes call them inverted commas. Should they be inside or outside the quotation marks. In american english, most writers place periods and commas inside quotation marks regardless of the periods or commas relationship to whats being quotedfor example. The rules in american english are different from the rules in british english, so if youre regularly reading american and british publications. This, however, is not true for other punctuation marks. When it comes to where to place quotation marks, people get confused. This rule applies even if only one quoted word ends the sentence. English punctuation rules can be hard keep straight as it is, so it doesnt help when british english and american english sometimes observe different rules. Quotation marks with periods and commas grammar girl. Jul 07, 2014 how to use quotation marks grammar lessons. Publication manual, as do several other major style guides such as ap, chicago, and mla. I like arethas songs respect, do right woman, and i never loved a man.
Last week, we examined the strict rule governing periods and commas with quotation marks. The quotation marks protected the commas and periods. Periods and parentheses grammar girl quick and dirty tips. It is being used as a noun, so i want to see it outside. Today, as promised, well talk about how to mix quotation marks with other punctuation. Grammar girl explains the difference between single quotation marks and. The book is clear, with examples of how to use and not use each punctuation mark, and i love that there is information about which style guides use which rules. We would also, then, put periods and commas outside quotation marks instead of inside. 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. Sentenceending punctuation is a whole different story. Question marks with quotation marks grammar and punctuation. May 29, 2016 when a sentence ends in a single quote, is the period placed inside or outside of that single quote. When youre using quotation marks, its hard to know where the adjacent punctuation is supposed to go.
Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language. May 28, 2019 incorrect dialogue punctuation and formatting is common among beginning fiction writers. The standard english rule, still observed by careful writers and editors, is that in american english commas and periods go inside the closing quotation mark. In british english everything goes inside or outside strictly according to the logic of the quoted matter and the. If a question is in quotation marks, the question mark should be placed. Punctuation inside of quotation marks with technical phrases duplicate ask question. However, if the quote is a phrase then the period should be outside the quotation mark. The chicago manual of style says that periods and commas precede closing quotation marks. In bre, it depends on where the comma and period belong. But in any case, in american style its a hardandfast rule to place commas and periods inside the quotation marks.
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. In a town outside brisbane, i saw tourists go home written on a wall. Assuming you come from the middle part of north america, commas and all final punctuation are placed inside quotation marks. Periods come inside with only one exception, the period always comes inside closing quotation marks. Place other punctuation inside quotation marks when that punctuation is part of what is being quoted, such as a quoted question. Here are all the different rules depending on the punctuation mark used. Thus, in the following sentence, the comma is placed after taught. Simply put, just ask yourself is the period for the quote or for the main sentence. Parentheses and brackets the blue book of grammar and. Combining quotation marks, question marks, and commas whew. Id like to point out one of the most common misuses of this piece of punctuation. Quotation marks writing libguides at loyola marymount university.
Here are two examples from the first book in the game of thrones series. Read this and other free articles on english grammar and usage at get it write online. Punctuation inside or outside quotation speech marks. Im not a lawyer, but in general, it is not necessary to use the. This week, lets look at the more logical rules governing the use of question marks with quotation marks. So should you put the period inside or outside the quotation marks.
In british and australian english, its the opposite. The main problem that people have with using quotes is also a fundamental one. Quotation marks rules youll never forget everything. Lulu tells lolas mom about lolas plan, adding a comment as she does so. Here are two more common dialogue mistakes to avoid. The question would be better off in the context of ame. The best punctuation book, period by june casagrande. Only the words that the person says should be inside the quotation. I regularly get questions about how to handle punctuation when a. Why do periods and commas go inside quotation marks in mla.
She reported that the boss was, in her words, miffed. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Note that the period goes inside both the single and double quotation marks. As you might guess from our name, apa style uses american style punctuation see p. See here for a brief explanation of the british style. Brackets like single quotation marks are used exclusively within quoted material. Quotation marks grammarist english grammar, grammar. The most common question people ask about quotation marks is whether periods and commas go inside or outside. A quotation inside another quotation gets single quotation marks. False to go beyond is as wrong as to fall short, said confucius. Mar 17, 2002 well, it seems to be the result of historical accident. In british english everything goes inside or outside strictly according to the logic of the quoted matter and the enclosing sentence. Ed said, here is a sentence with the period properly placed inside the ending quotation marks.
And once you have one inside, you never put another one outside of them. Look at the first comma and the final periodfull stop in the example below. Note that in british english, the punctuation marks only go inside of the quotation marks if the punctuation is part of the quoted material, although many writers make an exception for periods. In the early 1900s, it appears that the fowler brothers who wrote a famous british style guide called the kings english began lobbying to make the rules more about logic and less about the mechanics of typesetting. For those that want to know do punctuation marks go inside or outside of quotation marks. When irony or special effect is intended, skillful preparation can take the place of using these quotes. The table below elaborates, with examples for each punctuation mark. This question mostly refers to the sentenceending punctuation markspunctuation marks that introduce a quote are never placed within quotation marks. Do punctuation marks go inside or outside of quotation marks. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. When a sentence ends in a single quote, is the period placed inside or outside of that single quote. He finally answered after taking five minutes to think that he did not understand the question. You use a period inside of quotation marks when the quote you are using ends in a full stop and the sentence in which the quotation takes place is also ending. When a sentence ends in a single quote, is the period placed.
When to use commas before quotations quick and dirty tips. This page covers whether periods full stops, commas and other punctuation marks should be placed before or after a speech mark. 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. If material in parentheses ends a sentence, the period goes after the parentheses. 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. Well, it seems to be the result of historical accident. Apr 09, 20 last week, we examined the strict rule governing periods and commas with quotation marks. Jan 26, 2007 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.
In the united states, we always put periods and commas inside. Resort to apologetic quotation marks or quotation marks used to express irony only after such attempts have failed, keeping in mind that. For instance, i think it would be fine not to put a period after the quotation mark in your second example. Two punctuation marks periods and commas go inside quotation marks, two marks colons and semi colons go outside, and two question.
Parentheses and brackets must never be used interchangeably. Rule the placement of question marks with quotations follows logic. When ending a quotation, the period always goes inside the quotation. Several principles taught to american schoolchildren are reversed or. But at least with periods and commas, theres an easy way to remember assuming youre not in. The main use of quotation marks is to set off the exact words of a speaker or written source from the main body of a text. I would only put that punctuation inside of the quotation marks if it is a comma or a period. Quotation marks the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Though not necessarily logical, the american rules for multiple punctuation with quotation marks are firmly established. Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself. When a sentence ends in a single quote, is the period. The quotation may consist of one or more complete sentences or paragraphs, parts of a sentence or paragraph or as little as one word. If a question is within the quoted material, a question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks. White, writing in 1959, noted that typographical usage dictates the comma be inside the marks, though logically it seems not to belong there 36.
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