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: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said. Peter, however, didn't believe him. “I'm not sure that's exactly what happened.”
Does period go inside or outside quotation marks?
| Punctuation mark In relation to closing quotation mark, place it… Notes | Period Inside | Comma Inside | Parentheses Outside See more examples of how to cite direct quotations here. | Semi-colon Outside |
|---|
Does punctuation go inside quotes?
Put commas and periods within quotation marks
, except when a parenthetical reference follows. He said, “I may forget your name, but I never forget a face.” … Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence.
Where does punctuation go in a quote?
In American usage,
periods and commas typically go inside of quotation marks
. When you're quoting someone's exact words, introduce the quote with open quotation marks, and end the quote with a period or comma and closing quotation marks.
Does an exclamation mark go inside quotes?
Put the exclamation point
inside the closing quotation marks if it applies to the words enclosed by the quotation marks
. “There's a spider on my arm!” yelped Jeremy. If the exclamation point applies to the sentence as a whole, then place it at the very end.
How do you properly use quotation marks?
- Quotation marks always come in pairs. …
- Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence. …
- Do not use a capital letter when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the original material's complete sentence.
What do quotation marks look like?
Quotation marks can be
double
(“…”) or single (‘…') – that is really a matter of style (but see below for more about this). Quotation marks are also called “quotes” or “inverted commas”. 1.
How do you punctuate quotes in an essay?
In most literature essays, it's better to use shorter quotations in a precise way rather than write out very long quotations. You can
use single inverted commas ‘ ‘ or double quotation marks “ ”
to punctuate the quotation. Just make sure you stick to the same punctuation mark and don't swap between the two.
How do you punctuate a sentence that ends with a quote?
When the quote ends,
use a comma inside the quotation marks, and then continue the sentence outside
. If the quote ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, use it inside the quotation marks, and then continue the sentence outside the quotation marks like: “Where are you going?” she asked.
Do periods go inside quotes MLA?
Put commas and periods within quotation marks
, except when a parenthetical reference follows.
Are exclamation marks rude?
Exclamation points, or exclamation marks as they're also called, are punctuation marks designed to show excitement, emergency, emphasis, surprise, or strong emotion. However, they have evolved, at least for some people, into coming across
as rude
, sloppy, and unprofessional.
How do you quote the middle of a sentence?
When the annunciatory clause falls in the middle of a sentence,
use a comma and closing quotation marks before it
, and a comma and opening quotation marks after it.
How do you quote a question?
- If the quoted words are a question, put the question mark inside the quotation marks.
- If the entire sentence is a question, put the question mark outside the quotation marks.
What is an example of quotation?
An example of a quotation is
when you take a passage from Shakespeare and repeat it as written without changing any of the words
. An example of a quotation for a stock is the price of $24.56-$24.58. … “Where they burn books, they will also burn people” is a famous quotation from Heinrich Heine.
How do I write a quotation?
- If you start by telling who said it, use a comma and then the first quotation mark. …
- If you put the quote first and then tell who said it, use a comma at the end of the sentence, and then the second quotation mark. …
- Punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks if it is a direct quote.
How do you quote a dialogue?
4. Quoting a portion of dialogue: If you quote something a character says,
use double quotation marks on the outside ends of the quotation to indicate that you are quoting a portion
of the text. Use single quotation marks inside the double quotation marks to indicate that someone is speaking.
