Do Commas Go Inside Quotation Marks

Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, while semicolons and colons always go outside, in all cases involving quotation marks (again, american usage, not british usage). The mla handbook notes, “by convention, commas and periods that directly follow quotations go inside the closing quotation marks” (267). “you’ve got to be carefully taught,” wrote oscar hammerstein ii.

This table summarizes how the main punctuation marks are. 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: Here’s an example with a list of titles:

Is punctuation always inside quotes?

Comma goes inside you when the context calls for a comma at the end of material enclosed in quotation marks, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks: Comma goes inside you when the context calls for a comma at the end of material enclosed in quotation marks, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks: I found a cherry pie by the window sill. Here’s an example with a list of titles: