Punctuation Inside or Outside a Closing Quote? 1

[MikeBarone]

Should punctuation go inside or outside the closing quotation mark?

I often catch myself using this rule incorrectly. I was told in 4th grade that all punctuation must go inside the closing quote. It was a hard habit to break. I printed this rule and taped it near my monitor.

The normal style rules in English follow those of printers:

Put commas and periods inside the quotation mark:
He said, "Call home."

Put colons and semicolons outside the quotation mark.
Put dashes, question marks, and explanation marks inside the quote only if they apply to the quoted material:

The paper is called "Will She Survive?"

What really is the definition of "chaos"?


Mike Barone

http://www.cgiscript.net

FREE CGI/Perl Scripts & JavaScript Generators

 

[Stella740pl]

thread1256-823418, even though misleadingly named, covers a lot of what you are asking.

 

[Dimandja]

This topic was debated in these columns recently.

Punctuation should go to where it makes sense.

He said, "Call home". => The fullstop belongs to the whole sentence, not to the quote.

But then again, in the US strange things have been known to happen: like spelling aluminium as aluminum, or even reducing colour.

 

[MikeBarone]

Dimandja, I am having difficulty with your response. I read the other thread and it seems others do not necessarily agree with you whole-heartedly.

He said, "Call home". => The fullstop belongs to the whole sentence, not to the quote.

Even though the period being placed inside the quotes seems counterintuitive, I believe it is correct.

We can simply agree to disagree.



Mike Barone

http://www.cgiscript.net

FREE CGI/Perl Scripts & JavaScript Generators

 

[Stella740pl]

Mike,

There is no such a thing as universal agreement.

In that other thread, I quoted historical reasons for which in USA punctuation goes inside the quotation marks, and in UK it goes with the logic. Although it seems to be some motion in USA to go back with the logic, it's not widely spread yet and not taught in schools.

It seems that people educated outside of USA tend to the logical placement of punctuation, and those who studied in USA usually go with that odd typographical rule, even though in general become more aware of the existence of a different set of rules.

I don't think "punctuation goes only inside the quotation marks" is a hard and fast rule any more, so if some punctuation seems counterintuitive to you, you can use the more logical way.

Stella

 

[Dimandja]

>Dimandja, I am having difficulty with your response. I read the other thread and it seems others do not necessarily agree with you whole-heartedly.

Yeah? We frequently hold differing points of view, you know...


>Even though the period being placed inside the quotes seems counterintuitive, I believe it is correct.

Thanks for making my point.

 

[sleipnir214]

This page has a pretty good discussion on the topic.


Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[rosieb]

I thought the whole point of this forum was to disagree.... nicely and with good reason - that's what makes it challenging and educational.

Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[CajunCenturion]

Despite the fact that we have some contributors who seem to go out of their way to be disagreeable, it was, and still is, my hope that the primary goal of this forum is to learn and improve our English skills. Open and professional discussions on controversial topics is but one way to achieve that goal.

Good Luck
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[Dimandja]

>Despite the fact that we have some contributors who seem to go out of their way to be disagreeable...

Well, well... I wonder who that would be...

Ok, never mind.

 

[MikeBarone]

I think healthy debate, when done politely, is very constructive for all that engage in it. We are all here to gain knowledge and become better schooled in the linguistic art. Sorry for double entendre

Mike Barone

http://www.cgiscript.net

FREE CGI/Perl Scripts & JavaScript Generators

 

[CajunCenturion]

Dimandja - contributors is plural.
I wonder who they would be ... :-D

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein