Now, Where Does that Period Go? End Stops and Quotation Marks
Dear Grammar Guru: Please tell us how to punctuate around quotation marks. I get confused, particularly if I have a word or phrase at the end of the sentence that I am setting off with quotations.
This is a common concern to all who wish their writing to reflect knowledge of proper grammar. It’s not really as hard as it seems. Except when you are dealing with the question mark, dash, and exclamation point. Let’s get the easy ones out of the way first. (I will address this question to the American reader/writer. The British do it rather differently.)
The period (full stop) always goes inside quotation marks, even if it is not part of the statement being quoted.
Examples:
Bob said, “I can’t see him from here.”
It’s as the old proverb says: “There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip.”
The comma, likewise, always goes inside quotation marks.
Examples:
“I can’t bear it,” she said.
The teacher assigned the poem “The Highwayman,” which was a great story and easy to read.
The semi-colon and colon always go outside the marks.
Examples:
I was watching “Survivor”; did you see it last week?
I told him my opinion of “Survivor”: an addictive waste of time.
Then there are the question mark (query), the dash, and the exclamation point (bang). All three of these should be placed using logic: If they belong with the information in quotes, they go inside. If not, they go outside.
Examples:
Amy asked, “Did you like the party?”
Where is my copy of “The Highwayman”?Just before she was interrupted, she said, “Bob, what — ”
I can’t find “The Hound of Heaven” — Why?He screamed, “Stop!”
I can’t believe you burned my copy of “Utopia”!
6 Comments
It’s great to see that grammar still counts … even though many writers these days think it’s fashionable to throw out commas, periods and whatever else they “feel like” not paying attention to. I just added your blog to my Favorites. Thanks! Amanda
My apologies for not commenting sooner. I printed your blog when it first appeared as I had started doubting my own punctuation. I meant to write a ‘thank you’ comment then, but forgot. Thank you for your grammar blogs. I find them very interesting……..and…….er…..em …..necessary.
Thanks!
I liked this post – it’s easy to get confused about punctuation marks and where they go in relation to quotation marks.
Editormum, there are two things I wish you would help me with, please. Where do periods go when used in conjuction with brackets? And, I have a lazy habit — or should that be an ignorant habit — of using dashes: is this habit frowned upon?
Is this version not more correct?
He screamed, “Stop! I can’t believe you burned my copy of ‘Utopia’ !”
Or is this merely a British usage?
Well, they were two separate examples…
If they had been the same sentence, then your version would have been correct.