Quotations Marks with Other Punctuation

[martin6]

It was fun to read all the responses in this thread I learned most of my grammar in grade school in an activity called DOL. Daily Oral Language. It lasted like 10 minutes or so.

 

[Brijan]

I enjoyed the post.
But then again, I'm a control freak. Rules make it easy for me to be right, making others wrong, allowing me the oppoutunity to shoot them down, thusly elevate my sense of self worth; temporarily.

 

[herenthere]

Punctuation of the English language was (is) really hard for me. Another thing I
really had a hard time with (still do) is slang.

Sometimes I get so frustrated you will se in my post a lot of.......
Its a cop out, but I do try and continue to try and learn the language, spelling and punctuation...
I'm trying!

LOL

 

[slobone]

Read it again.
..when they are part of the quotation, and outside when they do not.

That was for question marks, exclamation points, and dashes. I still say you're busted.

 

[sweet_taboo]

To further complicate things, look at this example given by Frances Peck of using quotation marks to set off words specifically referred to as terms:

I know you like the word "unique," but do you really have to use it ten times in one essay?

The comma is inside the quotation marks. Sometimes it's just easier to use italics to set off words.

 

[slobone]

To further complicate things, look at this example given by Frances Peck of using quotation marks to set off words specifically referred to as terms:

I know you like the word "unique," but do you really have to use it ten times in one essay?

The comma is inside the quotation marks. Sometimes it's just easier to use italics to set off words.

Not complicated at all. Anytime something in quotation marks is followed by a comma, the comma goes inside the quotation marks. Doesn't matter whether it's a single word or multiple words.

Also worth pointing out that the rules are different in the UK. Not only do they use single quotes where we use double ones, but they tend to put the punctuation marks outside the quotation marks (or "inverted commas" as they call them.) Right, Brit-guys?

 

[slobone]

As a general rule, I shed commas like a Collie sheds fleas but that's another topic.

That instinct is the right one. I was taught, "when in doubt leave it out.".

Come to think of it, that's what my ex-boyfriend used to say when I was putting on my pajama bottoms...

 

[sweet_taboo]

That instinct is the right one. I was taught, "when in doubt leave it out.".

Hmmm, a period before the end quotation mark and a period after it?
I must say that I've never seen that before.

 

[Swellegant]

Though the refinements of American English punctuation are no mystery to me, I have often found myself in a quandary about putting commas inside or outside of quotation marks when the word is an example rather than a quote; of italics aren't available, my solution is to either put another word between the example and the comma or else use a semicolon and extend the clauses to suit.

So, where do we stand on punctuation marks and parentheses? Before or after the close-parenthesis? What do you think? I usually put them outside of the parentheses, unless the parenthetical statement has its own quotation marks, such as an exclamation point, a question-mark, or an ellipsis. But I'm not entirely sure whether that's correct or whether nobody has noticed me doing it.

 

[slobone]

If the thing inside the parentheses isn't a full sentence, I put the period on the outside (if I remember to). If it's a whole sentence, I put the period inside. (But I couldn't cite you a source for that.)

People who believe language should be logical increasingly are using this rule for quotation marks as well. "Since when was English logical", you may well ask.

 

[Kurn]

As a general rule, I shed commas like a Collie sheds fleas but that's another topic.

I use commas slightly more than what the rules and stylists say. We generally live in multi-cultural societies and slowing it down just a tad and in the right places improves clarity.

 

[slobone]

In the case of direct speech, the statement that commas and full-stops always go inside the quotation marks is true. However, and this is certainly the case in English English, when quotaion marks are used to indicate the title of a book, a film or a nickname, for example: "Children of the Corn", Ivan "The Terrible", Tsar of Russia, the comma or full-stop comes after the quotation marks.

Again, American usage and British usage are different.

IPlease also note that the use of the 'grave' accent (`), for any use other than as an accent, is incorrect; the correct punctuation mark, since Bill Gates has single-handedly obsoleted the 6 and 9 and 66 and 99 inverted commas, should be the apostrophe (').

Don't know what Bill Gates has to do with it. Microsoft Word uses the correct (different) characters for left and right, single and double quotation marks. It's the cruder text editors, like JUB's, that only use apostrophes and straight-up quotation marks (like old-fashioned typewriters did).

 

[slobone]

Hmmm, a period before the end quotation mark and a period after it?
I must say that I've never seen that before.

I always wear a belt and suspenders too!

 

[greaves]

A book I did enjoy reading was "The Collected Threads Of JDsmagik", but I preferred "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss.

The comma is not part of the title of JD's book, so goes outside the quotation marks.

As for "Punctuation", a work by the - understandably - unknown Frances Peck, don't quote it in public.

 

[slobone]

A book I did enjoy reading was "The Collected Threads Of JDsmagik", but I preferred "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss.

Ooh, I saw her on TV -- she was SO annoying! And there's apparently a lot of misinformation in that book (which I haven't read.)

If you're really serious about this kind of thing, get yourself a good style guide. There are several of them on the market, of which I don't own any -- maybe somebody else can recommend...

 

[greaves]

Slobone: this thread is about punctuation.

 

[sweet_taboo]

I always wear a belt and suspenders too!

...get yourself a good style guide. There are several of them on the market, of which I don't own any -- maybe somebody else can recommend...

Yes, he who wears a belt and suspenders is in desperate need of a good style guide.

 

[slobone]

Slobone: this thread is about punctuation.

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