How do you punctuate a sentence that ends with a quote?

How do you punctuate a sentence that ends with a quote?

Quotation marks and other punctuation marks Sentence-ending punctuation is a whole different story. 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.

Does a period go inside or outside quotation marks at the end of a sentence?

Using periods and commas with quotation marks 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.

What is the correct punctuation for quotes?

Proper Punctuation – Quotes

• 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 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.

Do periods 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.

Does punctuation go inside quotes?

What punctuation goes before a quote?

Punctuation before quotation marks Commas and colons can be used before the start of a quote. Commas are used for short quotes; colons for longer quotes.

Do commas go inside quotes in a list?

In all cases of usage involving quotation marks (again, American usage, not British), commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks while semicolons and colons always go outside. Here is an example using a list of titles: Notice that the commas separating the titles are inside the quotation marks.

Do you need a comma at the end of a quote?

Should I use a comma at the end of a quotation, before the closing quotation mark? In American English, you should always place a comma or period inside quotation marks. If you’re uncertain who your audience will be then it’s best to always place your commas inside of quotes. That way you’ll never been seen as wrong.

Does punctuation go inside quotes MLA?

The MLA Handbook notes, “By convention, commas and periods that directly follow quotations go inside the closing quotation marks” (267). Thus, in the following sentence, the comma is placed after taught: “You’ve got to be carefully taught,” wrote Oscar Hammerstein II.

How do you punctuate quotation marks?

Use a single quotation mark to begin it and punctuate it as you would a regular quote, with the period coming before you close the quotation with a second single quotation mark. Normally, a quote within a quote like this will be brief, since people usually use only short direct quotes from another person.

How do you use punctuation in a sentence?

Every sentence contains at least one punctuation mark — the one at its end. The most common of these sentence-ending punctuation marks is the period (“.”, also called a “full stop”). This simple dot is used to mark the end of a sentence that is declarative. Most sentences are declarative.

How do you end a quote with a question mark?

If a question or exclamation is quoted directly, the quotation contains the question mark or exclamation point. If the question or exclamation is at the end of the quotation, the question mark or exclamation point comes before the closing quotation mark.

What are the rules of punctuation?

Basic Punctuation Rules: the Comma Rule One: Use a comma to list things. Rule Two: Use a comma to make a compound sentence. You will often also use and, but, yet, so, or nor to join the sentences. Rule Three: Use a comma with introductory phrases like in addition, for example, in fact, however, meanwhile, therefore, and on the other hand.