Punctuation Outside Quotes British

Outside one final difference between american and british english is the use of single vs double quotation marks.

Punctuation outside quotes british. Place full points and commas inside the quotes for a complete quoted sentence. British style more sensibly places unquoted periods and commas outside the quotation marks. In speaking we use pauses and the pitch of the voice to make what we say clear. These marks are available in most word processors though many people simply use single and double quotation marks.

Sometimes a full stop is used outside of the quotation marks this is because the full stop belongs to the whole sentence not the original quotation. In the uk the tendency is to place them outside. Outside exclamation points show me the money shouted jerry maguire. This page has examples showing the different conventions for placing punctuation inside or outside quotation marks.

Technically the mark designating feet is a prime. All take periods in american english. Does punctuation go inside quotation marks. For all other punctuation the british and american styles are in agreement.

Read on to find out why and lessen the confusion. Punctuation plays a similar role in writing making it easier to read. Moreover formal british english practice requires a closing full stop to be put inside the quotation marks if the quoted item is a complete sentence that ends where the main sentence ends. The answer is both yes and no.

Colons and semicolons are placed outside quotations while question marks and exclamation marks follow the logic of the sentence. Your style guide needs updating and i said. Capital letters and full stops question marks commas colons and semi colons exclamation marks and quotation marks. Here is an example from the telegraph.

A crisis in the us subprime mortgage market will affect britain he said warning that the housing market is likely to weaken as a result. Otherwise the point comes outside anna said. If you are writing in british english on the other hand punctuation that is not part of the quoted sentence should be place outside the quotation marks. Americans and english do it completely opposite one.

Periods and commas are placed outside the prime and double prime marks. Unless the punctuation is part of the quoted material it goes outside the quotation marks. Inside i can t believe you told me what happens at the end of avengers. The mark designating inches is a double prime.