When do quotation marks go inside the comma

If either instance comes at the end of the sentence, the period will go inside of the quotation marks. Overall, you can stick to this basic rule: question marks and exclamation points go inside quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted matter. If they punctuate the sentence as a whole, they go outside of the quotation marks. Colons, dashes, and semicolons almost always go outside of quotation marks.

The only exception is if the colon, semicolon, or dash is a part of the sentence you are quoting. Feedback Dictionary.

Word of the Day. Meanings Meanings. What are quotation marks? How to punctuate quotation marks in writing Using periods and commas with quotation marks In American usage, periods and commas typically go inside of quotation marks. Some are included within the quotation marks, if it makes sense, and other are outside of it. 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.

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. If you place quotation marks around a letter or number, usually the period or comma falls outside the quotes. Consider the following example:. This is the only incidence that ignores the fact that most periods go inside quotation marks. Strunk, William, Jr. The Elements of Style. Yagoda, Ben. Skip to content Why do periods and commas go inside quotation marks in MLA style?

Digital typographers can close up the gap: The convention nonetheless remains. Note 1. Works Cited Bringhurst, Robert.