Why do periods and commas go inside quotation marks in mla style. When do commas or periods go inside quotation marks and when. In all other situations, the period comes inside the closing quotation marks. If the quotation is a sentence, then the period should be inside the quotation marks. Despite having settled their differences shortly after the boston tea party, britain and america are still fighting over grammar rules. While this definitely isnt meant to be the final word on quotation marks, i hope it helps you shore up. You knowthose pesky little punctuation marks your kid carefully positions smackdab above the period, hoping you wont notice his indecision. Jul 30, 2012 in american english, periods go inside quotation marks. Do periods and question marks come inside the quotation. Whether these punctuation marks go inside or outside quotation marks depends on context. In some fields, key terms may be set apart with singlequote marks.
In american style, the period always comes before the closing quotation marks. Rules for punctuating quotations inside quotations dummies. The quotation marks protected the commas and periods. Does a question mark go inside or outside of quotation marks. By judy vorfeld the chicago manual of style, sixteenth edition 6. If you place quotation marks around a letter or number, usually the period or comma falls outside the quotes. 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. Now i know when to put a question mark inside and outside quotation mark. A comma is used between a direct quotation and a preceding or following clause, while no comma is used before a quotation that is integrated into the sentence. Quotations within quotations grammar and punctuation. Place other punctuation inside quotation marks when that punctuation is part of. In american english, periods go inside quotation marks. 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.
In a town outside brisbane, i saw tourists go home written on a wall. How to punctuate quotations with question marks dummies. Luckily, when it comes to periods and commas, the answer to whether they go inside or outside the quotation mark is much simpler. Quotation marks published on by oxford university press. However, this is not the case for all end punctuation marks.
British versus american style the punctuation guide. Lolas words are inside single quotation marks and lulus complete statement is in double quotation marks. If the quoted words are a question, put the question mark inside the quotation marks. Do footnoting superscripts go inside or outside punctuation. In this chapter, we shall follow the predominant canadian practice of placing the period or comma within closing quotation marks and using double rather than single quotation marks except for quotations within quotations, as illustrated in 8. The number follows all marks of punctuation except the dash. 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. But what if you are using the quotation marks for the title of a book or in quoting someone. However, when ending a quotation in a question mark, exclamation point, colon, or semicolon, place the punctuation outside the quotation. When youre using quotation marks, its hard to know where the adjacent punctuation is supposed to go.
The rules in american english are different from the rules in british english, so if youre regularly reading american and british publications. Period goes inside quotation marks daily writing tips. Wondering whether to put a period inside or outside quotes. Though not necessarily logical, the american rules for multiple punctuation with quotation marks are firmly established. 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. Frequently, a different font or font style can be used to clarify what is to be typed. The period is unique among punctuation marks in that, yes, it always goes.
However, if you are using quotation marks for a special word or phrase not quoting someones writing or speech, you can put question marks and exclamation marks outside the quotation. This question mostly refers to the sentenceending punctuation markspunctuation marks that introduce a quote are never placed within quotation marks. Mar 17, 2002 now, keep in mind that this comma and period inside the quotation marks business is strictly american usage. In newspapers, single quotation marks are used in headlines where double quotation marks would otherwise appear. Do you put a period inside or outside quotation marks answers. British style more sensibly places unquoted periods and commas outside the quotation marks. For other punctuation marks, where the closing punctuation goes depends on which idea it refers to. Now, there is no argument in putting a period inside quotation marks when you are dealing with dialogue. This months issue of grammar guru magazine contains articles titled making every comma count. Publication manual, as do several other major style guides such as ap, chicago, and mla. Within the quote itself there may be other commas that belong to the sentence within the. Semicolons, colons, and dashes always go outside the closing quotation mark.
Jan 14, 2011 there is no general consensus whether a period should be placed inside or outside quotation marks. Quotation marks and other punctuation the writers toolbox. White, writing in 1959, noted that typographical usage dictates the comma be inside the marks, though logically it seems not to belong there 36. Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself. Since you will most often use them when working with outside sources, successful use of quotation marks is a practical defense against accidental plagiarism and an excellent practice in academic honesty. Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks in american english. When multiple quotation marks are used for quotations within quotations, keep the quotation marks together put periods and commas inside both. When do commas or periods go inside quotation marks and. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and sometimes poetry. In the british style, the placement of the period depends upon whether the period is logically part of the quoted material. Sep 01, 2018 the period should go inside the quotation marks. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format.
For instance, the rules about whether to include exclamation points inside or outside the quotation marks may vary from guide to guide. If a citation in parentheses follows the quotation, the period follows the citation. Usually, a quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. This rule applies even if only one quoted word ends the sentence. The american style was developed based on typography. The same rule applies to exclamation marks and dashes. The comma and period always go inside a quotation within another quotation when there is no parenthetical reference. If a terminal quotation mark appears as at the end of a short quotation that is included in the running text, the numeral is placed outside the final quotation mark with no space intervening cross reference omitted.
Knowing whether punctuation goes inside or outside. Periods come inside with only one exception, the period always comes inside closing quotation marks. Quotation marks also set off the titles of things that do not normally stand by themselves. Do commas go inside or outside of the quotation marks. 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. See here for a brief explanation of the british style. The period goes outside of the quotation mark when using a parenthetical reference. According to the film critic, one of the most widely acclaimed actors in history, humphrey bogart, is quoted as saying, i dont like acting. This, however, is not true for other punctuation marks. Periods and commas go inside the quotation mark, whether the punctuation is part of the quoted text or. In such cases, periods and commas go outside the singlequote marks. Yagoda argues that a quotation is a unit, consisting of the words and the quotation marks, and that insinuating a period or comma within the unit alters it in a rather underhanded sic manner. According to ap style, a question mark is inside quotation marks if that part is the question and outside the quotation marks if the whole sentence is a question. A comma is used between a direct quotation and a preceding or following clause, while no comma is.
When setting up type, requiring the period to precede the quotation marks allowed better kerning. This is the only incidence that ignores the fact that most periods go inside quotation marks. Bindle, to todays youth, means a small pack of drug powder. Is it acceptable to have a period inside and outside of a. Feb 10, 2020 according to ap style, a question mark is inside quotation marks if that part is the question and outside the quotation marks if the whole sentence is a question. Despite having settled their differences shortly after the boston tea party, britain and america are. If the quote is a question or exclamation, the punctuation mark goes inside the quotation marks. Writing stack exchange is a question and answer site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, nonfiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing.
Essentials punctuation of quotations hamilton college. However, if the quote is a phrase then the period should be outside the quotation mark. Do i put the period inside or outside the quotation marks. American english is known for its exceptions to rules, and there is one type of incidence where it would not be the case that periods go inside quotation marks. Aug 25, 2016 periods and commas always go within quotation marks. If the entire sentence is a question, put the question mark outside the quotation marks. We would also, then, put periods and commas outside quotation marks instead of inside. When ending a quotation, place periods and commas within the quotation marks, even if the period or comma is not part of the original quotation. Jun 25, 20 the period always goes inside the quotation marks. Oct 07, 20 when youre using quotation marks, its hard to know where the adjacent punctuation is supposed to go. Use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations. Apr 18, 2020 american english is known for its exceptions to rules, and there is one type of incidence where it would not be the case that periods go inside quotation marks.
Do you put a period inside or outside quotation marks. Do you agree with the saying, alls fair in love and war. Periods and quotation marks the writing cooperative. Sentenceending punctuation is a whole different story. Simply put, just ask yourself is the period for the quote or for the main sentence. I was thinking, if youre quoting a sentence that has a period, the period goes inside the quotation marks. Use of the period with other marks with quotation marks. But at least with periods and commas, theres an easy way to remember assuming youre not in. As you can see in the examples above, when a comma or period comes at the end of a pair of quotation marks, it goes inside the marks, not outside. Heres a helpful little tutorial on how to use quotation marks at the end of a sentence.
It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. For all other punctuation, the british and american styles are in agreement. Commas and periods that are part of the overall sentence go inside the quotation marks, even though they arent part of the. Words into type, third edition 1974 is even more succinct. Periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation mark. In american usage, commas and periods at the end of. Period outside quotation marks writing stack exchange. The general rule is that commas and periods are placed inside the quotation marks. Do periods and question marks come inside the quotation mark. The main problem that people have with using quotes is also a fundamental one. Why do periods and commas go inside quotation marks in mla. If a superscript footnote number is used, it follows the period and the quotation marks. 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. There is no general consensus whether a period should be placed inside or outside quotation marks.
Jan 26, 2007 the rule stating that periods are placed inside quotation marks of course applies to when both the period and the quotation marks appear at the end of the sentence. Use quotation marks to set off material that represents quoted or spoken language. The period is unique among punctuation marks in that, yes, it always goes inside the quotation marks. They go outside quotation marks when they apply to the whole sentence. Treat anything within quotation marks as separate from the rest of the sentence youve written, and make sure it has its own correct punctuation. Quotation marks with periods and commas grammar girl. Some of you detailoriented okay, picky people may want to know what to do when the quotation and the sentence are both questions.
Punctuation inside or outside quotation speech marks. Sep 21, 2017 today, as promised, well talk about how to mix quotation marks with other punctuation. Periods and commas always go within quotation marks. However, this is not always the case with exclamation points and question marks. Look at the first comma and the final periodfull stop in the example below. The rule stating that periods are placed inside quotation marks of course applies to when both the period and the quotation marks appear at the end of the sentence. Note that the period goes inside both the single and double quotation marks. When the use of quotation marks are required, it is essential for. Today, as promised, well talk about how to mix quotation marks with other punctuation. Periods with quotation marks grammar and punctuation. This page covers whether periods full stops, commas and other punctuation marks should be placed before or after a speech mark. Quotation marks and apostrophes purdue writing lab. Commas and periods follow the same rules in both double and single quotations.
As you might guess from our name, apa style uses american style punctuation see p. 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. Now, keep in mind that this comma and period inside the quotation marks business is strictly american usage. Should they be inside or outside the quotation marks. Do commas go inside or outside of the quotation marks answers.
Evilstyle air quotes around any word the author wants to emphasize to uncertainty around comma and period placement inside or outside. For instance, the first example in our rule 1 of quotation marks is, the sign changed from walk, to dont walk, to walk again within 30 seconds. If a question is within the quoted material, a question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks. Typically, there is a comma before the quotation begins outside and at the end of the quotation inside.
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