In American English, periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation mark, colons and semicolons always go outside, and question marks and exclamation points go inside only when they belong to the quotation. In British English, periods and commas also go inside only when they are part of the quoted words.
Many rules of English writing cause problems for students, writers, and everyone else. One question that keeps coming up is where punctuation marks go when a sentence contains a quotation. This article answers it, with examples.
A confusing rule
Most grammar rules are easy to follow. Others are more confusing, but you can work them out with some patience. Whether punctuation goes inside or outside quotation marks is harder, because the answer depends on where you live and who you write for.
If you live in the United States, or your audience does, periods and commas go inside the quotation marks. This rule applies regardless of logic: even when only a single word is quoted, the period or comma still goes inside. Canadian English usually follows the same rule.
British English works differently. There, a period or comma goes inside the quotation marks only if it belongs to the quoted words, and outside if it belongs to the sentence around them. This is why the British system is often called logical punctuation. British writers also tend to use single quotation marks where Americans use double ones. Compare:
American: She called the plan "a disaster."
British: She called the plan 'a disaster'.
If you still have questions about quotation marks in general, read the "secret" of quotation marks. To keep the rest of your spelling consistent, see British or American English?
When to use quotation marks
In American English, quotation marks are used in several situations:
- When you quote exactly what someone said or wrote: She said, "Please let me use your phone for one minute."
- When you name the title of a short work, such as a song, a poem, an article, or a TV episode: Last night I finally listened to "Bohemian Rhapsody" all the way through.
- When you write about a word or a phrase: Saying "Thank you very much" instead of just "Thank you" sometimes sounds much better.
The titles of longer works, such as movies, books, and TV series, usually go in italics instead of quotation marks.
What about periods and commas?
As mentioned above, where periods and commas go depends largely on where you live and who your audience is. The American rule is simple: periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation mark.
- With a quoted sentence: He asked me a question, and I replied, "I am not sure of the answer."
- With a quoted title: At the party, we all sang "Happy Birthday."
- With a comma in the middle of a quotation: "I am not sure," he said, "but I think so."
Colons and semicolons
Colons and semicolons are the exception in American English: they always go outside the quotation marks.
- I have only one problem with "Hello": it is too short.
- My sister loves the song "Hello"; my brother can't stand it.
Question marks and exclamation points
Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if they are part of the quotation:
- My mother asked me, "What do you want to eat for dinner?"
- He shouted, "Watch out!"
If they belong to the main sentence and not to the quotation, they go outside:
- Weren't you listening when she said, "I don't love you anymore"?
- Have you ever used the word "commensurate"?
- I can't believe she said "maybe"!
A question mark or an exclamation point at the end of a quotation also ends the sentence, so no period follows it. These rules are the same in British English. If you are still unsure, read more about the question mark.
So who is right?
Trying to decide which system is right can be just as confusing as the rules themselves. The truth is that neither is wrong: each is correct where it is used. If you write for an American audience, follow the American rules. If you write for readers elsewhere, follow the rules they expect, or the style guide of your school, company, or publisher. Whichever system you choose, use it consistently throughout your text.
The Spell Checker checks punctuation as well as spelling and grammar, and you can set it to American or British English.