The rules for quotation marks can get a bit confusing as they are not related to logic in any way. My best advice is to always check the rule before using the quotation marks. Since we don’t use them that often, these rules are not worth memorizing; however, they are worth looking up in a reference book. Put periods and commas inside the closing quotation marks. This is the American style. The American convention for placing commas and periods inside quotation marks offers no logic. If you deal with publications from England or Australia or South Africa, the rules for the quotation mark will differ.
Here are examples of a period and comma with quotation marks:
- The letter was marked “Confidential.”
- She described her new friend as “tall,” “handsome,” and “intelligent.”
Put colons and semicolons outside the closing quotation marks. Again there is no logic to this rule.
Here are examples of quotation marks with colons and semicolons:
- I had my doubts when I heard him say, “Your check is in the mail”; needless to say, I have received nothing.
- We know what she means when she says to use some “ingenuity”: creativity wins proposals.
Use the following patterns for question marks and exclamation points at the end of a sentence concluding with a quotation:
Here are examples of quotation marks with question marks and exclamation points:
- When the quote is not a question, but the sentence is.
Did they say, “We’ll help”?
- When the quote is a question, but the sentence is not.
They asked, “May we help?”
- When the quote is a question, and so is the sentence.
Did they ask, “May we help?”
- When the quote is an exclamation, and the sentence is a question.
Who yelled, “The sky is falling!”
- When the quote is a question, and the sentence is an exclamation.
Don’t ask, “Where is the exit”!
Use quotation marks for a direct quote, not for an indirect quotation.
Here’s a direct quote:
The forerunner declared, “My political record shows that I am the best person for the job.”
Here’s an indirect quote:
The forerunner declared that his political record shows that he is the best person for the job.
Note: Single quotes are treated the same way as double quotes.