Do quotations go before or after a period or question mark?

[Voyager]

I know this seems silly to post, but this question has always baffled me so I decided to look it up. I am a writer by profession, so I need to know which way is correct.

For example, which one of these is the correct usage?:

I asked Joe, "What are you doing tonight?"

I asked Joe, "What are you doing tonight"?

I asked Joe, "What are you doing tonight?".

Or how about this one:

I told my wife, "I am going to the store."

I told my wife, "I am going to the store".

I told my wife, "I am going to the store.".

Here's what I found:

There is a difference between US and British/Canadian punctuation styles. (In the US, periods and commas always appear inside the quotation marks, although question marks follow the same logic logic as below.)

* BRITISH / CANADIAN PUNCTUATION : the punctuation follows the logic below,

If you are quoting a question then the ? will go within the quotation marks.
I.e. Sally said, "Where are you going?"

If you re asking a question about a quote, then the ? will go after the quotation marks.
I.e. Did Sally say, "We are going to the zoo"?

There is no double punctuation used.

For periods, if the quotation marks enclose a sentence, it goes inside. If the quotation marks do not use a period, the period goes outside.

I.e. -- The boy said "I am going to the store."

But -- The show was was titled "My Town".

I know, this will be boring to some, and a lightbulb finally turning on for others. I am glad to have finally put this question to rest, as I have always wondered about it.

[bluejeangirl76]

Pay Attention Now, Class



I would have given you the answer, but you went and looked for yourself - good for you!

Good to see people actually putting an effort into correct grammar and writing. I'm a fan of that.

[JasonD]

Voyager, you say you're a writer by profession? That's great!!! I love grammar so your post wasn't boring to me. I don't pretend to be an expert in the field & yes I make some typowes every now & then & yes I use an ampersand in place of the word "and" & I write b/c in place of the word "because," but that's okay. Who's checking?



Do I overuse question marks??????????? Perhaps.



I KNOW I OVERUSE EXCLAMATION POINTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I might even make the mistake of creating a comma splice, I try not to do that too often.



When I'm not being careful I tend to ramble on & on with little or no punctuation making several sentences into one big run-on sentence with no real beginning no end no rhyme or reason to what I'm trying to say & usually veering off on some wild tangent that nobody can follow & so they simply give up reading because I've given them a headache & they've long since lost all interest.



Still. It's nice to know that someone besides me. Knows what a sentence fragment. Is.

[Rip Rokken]

I know this seems silly to post, but this question has always baffled me so I decided to look it up. I am a writer by profession, so I need to know which way is correct.

Actually, I'm very glad you posted this because I've been plagued by the same question even just a day ago and keep forgetting the answer. Here, more likely I'll be putting a song title in quotes and trying to figure out where the punctuation mark goes. It always just looks awkward on the outside of the quotation mark, but that's been my understanding of where it's supposed to go if you aren't quoting a quote.

So what's the U.S. rule on this again?

[JasonD]

I know this seems silly to post, but this question has always baffled me so I decided to look it up. I am a writer by profession, so I need to know which way is correct.

Actually, I'm very glad you posted this because I've been plagued by the same question even just a day ago and keep forgetting the answer. Here, more likely I'll be putting a song title in quotes and trying to figure out where the punctuation mark goes. It always just looks awkward on the outside of the quotation mark, but that's been my understanding of where it's supposed to go if you aren't quoting a quote.

So what's the U.S. rule on this again?

If the thing that you're quoting has punctuation in it, place that punctuation inside the quotes. For example, "Who's Crying Now?" is a question so the question mark goes inside of the quotes. If you're simply talking about, say, the song "Separate Ways" & those words fall at the end of the sentence, put the punctuation on the outside of the quotes. Do you like the song, "Separate Ways"? -vs- Do you like the song, "Who's Crying Now?"

[T-Bone]

Here's another one.... People who use the accent mark ` (key above the left TAB button) instead of the correct apostrophe ' mark (key to the left of the ENTER button) when contracting words such as do not (Don't) and I Am (I'm), etc...

[S2M]

I can't stand people who don't use the word, 'Anymore' correctly. The word is to be used in a negative context.

I don't swim anymore
I can't spell anymore
Sue doesn't give head anymore

Everyone around me uses it in NON-negative contexts. It's fucking annoying anymore!!!!! <~~~~~ like that!!!!!!!

[artist4perry]

I can't stand people who don't use the word, 'Anymore' correctly. The word is to be used in a negative context.

I don't swim anymore
I can't spell anymore
Sue doesn't give head anymore

Everyone around me uses it in NON-negative contexts. It's fucking annoying anymore!!!!! <~~~~~ like that!!!!!!!

What is your feelings on nevermore?

[Jana]

I can't stand people who don't use the word, 'Anymore' correctly. The word is to be used in a negative context.

I don't swim anymore
I can't spell anymore
Sue doesn't give head anymore

Everyone around me uses it in NON-negative contexts. It's fucking annoying anymore!!!!! <~~~~~ like that!!!!!!!

You need to chill out. Go listen to some Raoul & the Kings of Spain.

[Babyblue]

Voyager, you say you're a writer by profession? That's great!!! I love grammar so your post wasn't boring to me. I don't pretend to be an expert in the field & yes I make some typowes every now & then & yes I use an ampersand in place of the word "and" & I write b/c in place of the word "because," but that's okay. Who's checking?



Do I overuse question marks??????????? Perhaps.



I KNOW I OVERUSE EXCLAMATION POINTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I might even make the mistake of creating a comma splice, I try not to do that too often.



When I'm not being careful I tend to ramble on & on with little or no punctuation making several sentences into one big run-on sentence with no real beginning no end no rhyme or reason to what I'm trying to say & usually veering off on some wild tangent that nobody can follow & so they simply give up reading because I've given them a headache & they've long since lost all interest.



Still. It's nice to know that someone besides me. Knows what a sentence fragment. Is.

But we still love ya hon.

[Peartree12249]

My pet peeve is when people write in regards to instead of in regard to. Better yet it's simpler to just say regarding or concerning.

[Voyager]

My pet peeve is when people write in regards to instead of in regard to. Better yet it's simpler to just say regarding or concerning.

How about this one... there is no word called irregardless. People use that thing all the time... even my programmer does... and it's not a word.

Example:

"Irregardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

Should be:

"Regardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among references is that it may be a blend, or portmanteau word, of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard English words. By blending these words, an illogical word is created. Another possibility is that when people say "irregardless" they are following the pattern of words like irrational and irregular. Since the prefix ir- means 'not' (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means 'without,' irregardless is a double negative.

[artist4perry]

My pet peeve is when people write in regards to instead of in regard to. Better yet it's simpler to just say regarding or concerning.

How about this one... there is no word called irregardless. People use that thing all the time... even my programmer does... and it's not a word.

Example:

"Irregardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

Should be:

"Regardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among references is that it may be a blend, or portmanteau word, of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard English words. By blending these words, an illogical word is created. Another possibility is that when people say "irregardless" they are following the pattern of words like irrational and irregular. Since the prefix ir- means 'not' (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means 'without,' irregardless is a double negative.

Yes! There is a preacher on the radio here who uses irregardless every weekend, and it drives me nuts! I yell at the radio.......regardless! Regardless! He is a nice guy though Like the man, in spite of the word.

[JasonD]

My pet peeve is when people write in regards to instead of in regard to. Better yet it's simpler to just say regarding or concerning.

How about this one... there is no word called irregardless. People use that thing all the time... even my programmer does... and it's not a word.

Example:

"Irregardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

Should be:

"Regardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among references is that it may be a blend, or portmanteau word, of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard English words. By blending these words, an illogical word is created. Another possibility is that when people say "irregardless" they are following the pattern of words like irrational and irregular. Since the prefix ir- means 'not' (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means 'without,' irregardless is a double negative.

Can't nobody tell me nothing about no double negatives.

[artist4perry]

My pet peeve is when people write in regards to instead of in regard to. Better yet it's simpler to just say regarding or concerning.

How about this one... there is no word called irregardless. People use that thing all the time... even my programmer does... and it's not a word.

Example:

"Irregardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

Should be:

"Regardless of the consequences, we are going ahead with the plans."

The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among references is that it may be a blend, or portmanteau word, of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard English words. By blending these words, an illogical word is created. Another possibility is that when people say "irregardless" they are following the pattern of words like irrational and irregular. Since the prefix ir- means 'not' (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means 'without,' irregardless is a double negative.

Can't nobody tell me nothing about no double negatives.

Ain't aint a word because it ain't right.

[Luvsaugeri]

Thanks for the information. I have always wondered about this myself. I have done it both ways. But there was never any rhyme or reason to which way I did it!! lol!!

[Rip Rokken]

If the thing that you're quoting has punctuation in it, place that punctuation inside the quotes. For example, "Who's Crying Now?" is a question so the question mark goes inside of the quotes. If you're simply talking about, say, the song "Separate Ways" & those words fall at the end of the sentence, put the punctuation on the outside of the quotes. Do you like the song, "Separate Ways"? -vs- Do you like the song, "Who's Crying Now?"

I got that part... I was asking what the U.S. rule was, because it's supposedly different than the British/Canadian rule he quoted. You made a mistake though -- if you are quoting the song title, there is no "?" in "Who's Crying Now", so the question mark would go on the outside.

[T-Bone]

The question mark or any punctuation would be on the outside of any quote or a specific title as well.

Who said "Give me liberty or give me death"? ***OR*** Patrick Henry once said "Give me liberty or give me death".

[Sarah]

If I had a nickel for every time I've read "curiosity is peaked" online...

IT'S PIQUED!

[Peartree12249]

How about this malaprop: it's a mute point instead of the correct it's a moot point. Every time I hear that it's like nails on a blackboard.

[JasonD]

How about this malaprop: it's a mute point instead of the correct it's a moot point. Every time I hear that it's like nails on a blackboard.

Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe it was Helen Keller who was making the point.



(I make a funny. Don't hit me.)

[JasonD]

If I had a nickel for every time I've read "curiosity is peaked" online...

IT'S PIQUED!

Good one! That & "segway." That's another word that's often misspelled.

[JasonD]

If the thing that you're quoting has punctuation in it, place that punctuation inside the quotes. For example, "Who's Crying Now?" is a question so the question mark goes inside of the quotes. If you're simply talking about, say, the song "Separate Ways" & those words fall at the end of the sentence, put the punctuation on the outside of the quotes. Do you like the song, "Separate Ways"? -vs- Do you like the song, "Who's Crying Now?"

I got that part... I was asking what the U.S. rule was, because it's supposedly different than the British/Canadian rule he quoted. You made a mistake though -- if you are quoting the song title, there is no "?" in "Who's Crying Now", so the question mark would go on the outside.

By golly, you're right. I stand corrected. I never noticed there's no question mark in the title of that song & so yes, the question mark would go outside of the quotation marks in that instance.

[Sarah]

btw Voyager, I'm surprised you're a writer and you didn't know this rule.