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It’s a maze: Punctuation with quotation marks

Maze with US and UK flags to represent punctuation with quotation marks

A team member asked me: “When you use quotes, where does the period go: before or after the quotation marks? How about the other punctuation marks, do they go inside or outside quotes?”

The rules of punctuation with quotation marks depend on whether you follow the American or British convention. Here’s a more detailed explanation of these conventions, as well as examples of punctuation with quotation marks in a sentence.

Punctuation with quotation marks in American vs. British English

The following information is based mainly on The Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition, When Words Collide by Lauren Kessler, the New Oxford Style Manual (2012), The Handbook of Good English by Edward D. Johnson, and The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn.  The examples are mine.

In this post I discuss conventions rather than unbreachable rules. Conventions may be bent or changed to suit the style adopted by a specific publication. It is known that some novelists like to bend punctuation conventions, so in fiction you will see different styles of punctuation with quotation marks than in nonfiction. When in doubt about punctuation with quotation marks, refer to the editorial style guide you need to follow.

Quotation marks and commas

American English: Commas go inside quotes, so insert the comma before closing quotation marks.

“A barking dog never bites,” he said, “unless it bites after it stops barking,” he added, showing me his bandaged leg.

British English: The comma goes before closing quotation marks if it belongs to the quotation. Insert the comma after closing quotation marks if it doesn’t belong to the quotation.

“A barking dog never bites,” he said, “unless it bites after it stops barking”, he added, showing me his bandaged leg.

In the example above, the first comma (after bites) belongs to the quoted matter; the second (after barking) doesn’t.

Quotation marks and periods

American English: The period goes before closing quotation marks (inside quotation marks).

He shouted, “Don’t be afraid! A barking dog never bites.”

British English: The period, or full stop, that belongs to the quotation goes before closing quotation marks (example A). However, if the quoted material is short and has no introductory punctuation, the period goes after closing quotation marks (example B).

Example A: The Spanish say, “Since we cannot get what we like, let us like what we can get.”

Example B: He used to like the proverb “A barking dog never bites”.

Quotation marks and semicolons

American and British English: Place the semicolon outside quotation marks.

“If you really want to become a writer, learn how to use the semicolon”; don’t you agree?

Quotation marks and colons

American and British English: The colon goes outside quotation marks.

He said, “Stop shouting if you want me to listen to you”: That would have been good advice if it didn’t come from someone shouting.

Quotation marks and exclamation point

American and British English: The exclamation point goes before closing quotation marks if it belongs to the quotation (example A). The exclamation point that doesn’t belong to the quotation goes after closing quotation marks (example B).

A: “That’s inconceivable!” Jim said before leaving the room.

B: The peer reviewer said that my theory is “as plausible as the universe being a hologram”!

C: “Mamma Mia!”, the musical, not the song, is not one of my favorites.

Special case: The exclamation mark and comma combination

Notice that in example A, there is no comma before the attribution of the quotation (before Jim said), though logic dictates that a comma should separate the quote and the attribution. But sometimes convention beats logic, as in this case. According to both American and British conventions of punctuation, there should be no comma following a quote that ends with an exclamation mark.

The exclamation mark is stronger than the comma, and only the stronger punctuation is kept when two punctuation marks are called for in the same spot in a sentence. There are exceptions to this punctuation convention. For instance, a comma follows the closing quotation marks if the quote that ends with an exclamation mark is a book title (example C above).

Quotation marks and question marks

American and British English: The question mark goes before closing quotation marks if it belongs to the quotation (example A). The question mark goes after closing quotation marks if it doesn’t belong to the quotation (example B).

A: “Would you like another piece of cake?” was my first question.

B: What do you think Thomas Edison meant by “It’s very beautiful over there”?

C: “Where’s my teddy?” she asked and started crying.

D: “Where’s My Teddy?”, a wonderful story by Jez Alborough, is the most underrated children’s book.

Special case: The question mark and comma combination

Notice that in example C, there is no comma before she asked, but in example D, there is a comma after the question mark and closing quotation marks. The explanation is the same as for the exclamation mark above. According to both American and British conventions of punctuation, there should be no comma following a quote that is a question. In example D, the question mark is part of a book title, so the comma is not omitted in this case. When the title is set in italics, no quotation marks are needed, so example D would look like this:

         Where’s My Teddy?, a wonderful story by Jez Alborough, is the most underrated children’s book.

Quotation marks and ellipsis points

American and British English: The ellipsis points that belong to the quotation go before closing quotation marks (example A). The ellipsis points that don’t belong to the quotation go after closing quotation marks (example B).

A: “I have not failed…” were her last words.

B: Robert Frost wrote, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life”…

Quotation marks and em dashes

American and British English: The em dash goes before closing quotation marks if it belongs to the quotation (example A). This is the case when an em dash indicates an interruption in speech. The em dash that doesn’t belong to the quotation goes outside quotation marks (example B).

A: She whispered, “What if—” and then started drawing.

B: He kept asking passers-by questions that started with, “If you were a time traveler”—very few answered; most just ignored him.

Punctuation with quotation marks: US vs. UK (download cheat sheet)

UK vs. US punctuation in relation with quotation marks

As these are not strict rules, but typographical conventions, exceptions do exist. Many British writers and journalists use the American convention. But the British practice seems to have conquered the digital world.

Why does punctuation go inside quotation marks in American English?

If you don’t celebrate the Fourth of July, you might have wondered, Why do commas and periods go inside quotation marks in American English?

In the age of handset typesetting, typographers noticed commas and periods placed after closing quotation marks went awry. To prevent the problem, they put the comma or period inside closing quotation marks. And so the American convention of placing terminal punctuation before closing quotation marks was born.

What happened in Britain? I don’t know. Maybe British full stops and commas didn’t misbehave. Or maybe the British found a solution that didn’t defy logic. Today the British style of punctuation is also called the logical style.

Punctuation with quotation marks: British or American convention?

As a freelance editor, I tell my clients to follow the American convention if they use American English or the British convention if they use British English.

In scientific writing, the logical style of punctuation prevails. So, if you’re writing a scientific article, book, or report, follow the logical convention of punctuation in relation to quotation marks. It helps to check the guidelines for manuscript preparation.

I love American English, but I like to put commas and periods where they logically belong. So, I follow the British convention of punctuation and quotation marks if I have a choice. That’s not incorrect, so you can do the same if it works for you. 

Do you have a question about punctuation? Send me an email at editor@languageediting.com.

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Last revised on 29 February 2024

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Susan for inspiring me to write this post. Thanks to Florentin R. for asking me how to use commas after quotations that are questions.

Cristina N.

A freelance editor and writer with a keen interest in science, nature, and communication, I love to craft articles that help and inspire people.