Do End Quotes Go Before Or After The Period

This rule applies even if only one quoted word ends the sentence.

Do end quotes go before or after the period. Question marks and exclamation points require you to think about the sentence a little to determine where they go. The convention goes back at least to the nineteenth. And some said neither yes nor no 2 some people call themselves democrats. In american style the period always comes before the closing quotation marks.

1 he said no. Semicolons colons and dashes always go outside the closing quotation mark. The reason for this convention is to improve the appearance of the text. The american style was developed based on typography.

When setting up type requiring the period to precede the quotation marks allowed better kerning. In the british style the placement of the period depends upon whether the period is logically part of the quoted material. Commas or periods always precede closing quotation marks of quoted material two examples. After the quotation marks because if put before the quotation mark that makes the quote seem like if it continues after what you wrote even if the quote has ended.

The placement of a comma or period after a quotation by eric wirth. Period marks go before the. Quotation mark image courtesy of shutterstock. With only one exception the period always comes inside closing quotation marks.

He said we need to tell the boss right away she reported that the boss was in her words miffed. After the quotation marks because if put before the quotation mark that makes the quote seem like if it continues after what you wrote even if the quote has ended. When a comma or period is needed after a quotation publishers in the united states typically put the punctuation mark before the closing quotation mark.