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.
Do you include punctuation inside quotations?
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.
How do you punctuate 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.
