Quotes Inside Or Outside Punctuation

This rule applies regardless of logic.

Quotes inside or outside punctuation. In the us periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation marks sometimes go inside sometimes stay outside. 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 for question marks and exclamation points. Mr mrs and ms.

Colons and semicolons are placed outside quotations while question marks and exclamation marks follow the logic of the sentence. However when it comes to punctuation quotes and whether or not they go inside or outside of quotation marks the answer is harder. In the uk the tendency is to place them outside. The confusion is understandable since it is seen written both ways inside and outside.

For all other punctuation the british and american styles are in agreement. This is the opposite of what happens with a period or comma. For other punctuation marks where the closing punctuation goes depends on which idea it refers to the sentence or the quote. British style more sensibly places unquoted periods and commas outside the quotation marks.

In american usage commas and periods at the end of quotes always go inside the quotation marks. The correct choice is almost always inside. For example if the sentence is a question but the words in the quote are not the question mark would go outside the quotation marks. Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks in american english.

The convention is universal for direct quotations. If you live in the united states or the audience you are writing for is from there then the periods and commas go inside the quotation marks. When you use a colon semicolon parenthesis exclamation mark or question mark the american rules dictate that the punctuation should go outside of the quotes. Here s why according to the american style the commas and periods or full stops always go inside the quotation.

Unless the punctuation is part of the quoted material it goes outside the quotation marks. British english places the punctuation inside the quotation marks just as other forms of english. However this is not the case for all end punctuation marks. The answer is both.

So which is correct. Dashes colons and semicolons almost always go outside the quotation marks. Should the punctuation be inside or outside quotation marks.