A common question in my writing courses is whether to place commas and periods inside or outside quotation marks. If you read both American and British publications, you'll surely be confused because they follow different rules. The American Psychological Association (APA) Style Blog and the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Center offer helpful viewpoints on this topic.
When quoting verbatim, the American method works well enough: place the punctuation inside the quotes, as in:
But the American method can cause problems, as this acceptable sentence includes punctuation marks within the quotes although they are not part of the poems' titles:
When quoting verbatim, the American method works well enough: place the punctuation inside the quotes, as in:
Barry said, "We will have a meeting."
"Will it be tomorrow?" asked Harry.
"Yes," said Larry.
But the American method can cause problems, as this acceptable sentence includes punctuation marks within the quotes although they are not part of the poems' titles:
While I was reading Sylvia Plath's villanelle "Mad Girl's Love Song," she was reading Elizabeth Bishop's villanelle "One Art."The application of this rule doesn't bother me, as I have far greater problems to concern myself with when writing. Here is a solution for those who do not like the rule: Create your own organizational style book that breaks the American standard.
