Punctuation Inside or Outside Quotations?In the US, commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. In the UK, the tendency is to place them outside, unless they appear in the original quotation, in which case they go inside. Show
This table summarizes how the main punctuation marks are used with quotations:
The US and UK Rules for Commas and Periods (Full Stops) with QuotationsShould the highlighted comma and period (full stop) be inside or outside the quotation marks? Well, it depends what writing convention you're following. This example is written in the US writing convention. Here is the same example in the UK convention. This, however, is not the whole story. In the UK, commas and periods are also placed inside if they appear in the original quotation. Let's examine this quotation by US President Thomas Jefferson: "Conquest is not in our principles." This point causes great confusion when writing dialogue using the UK convention because each line of dialogue usually has its own end punctuation, typically a period. Let's examine this line of dialogue by someone called John: "I like apples." So, in the UK, commas and periods go outside, unless they appear in the original quotation, in which case they go inside. To avoid all this confusion, many British teachers now instruct their students to place commas and periods inside quotation marks. This is a fair ruling given they tend to be instructing how to write dialogue. This is a workaround though. It is not the rule. Beware!We've said there are two conventions: the US convention and the UK convention. However, if you were to test this in the US or the UK, you would quickly spot that not all Americans and Brits adhere to their own conventions. For example, you would have no trouble finding UK fiction writers and journalists following the so-called US conventions, and you'd also find a few US writers following the so-called UK convention. Here's some good advice: Identify your local convention (either in a work policy or a decent newspaper) and then be consistent. A More Detailed Explanation of Punctuation Inside or Outside Quotations
In SummaryThis infographic below summarizes the rules for placing punctuation inside or outside a quotation: Printable TestHelp Us Improve Grammar Monster
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Next lesson > 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.
Where do you put punctuation in a quote?Commas and colons can be used before the start of a quote. ... . Short punctuation (periods, commas) that is part of the sentence stays inside the quotation marks. ... . All punctuation marks that are part of the original quote stay inside the quotation marks.. What are the 3 rules for using quotations?Direct quotations involve incorporating another person's exact words into your own writing. Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted material. Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence.
Which punctuation mark is always placed outside the final quotation mark?Colons, semicolons, and dashes
Typically, these three punctuation marks all go outside of quotation marks.
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