Quotes With Question Mark And Comma

Omit the comma before an attribution although it s not exactly the same situation the ap stylebook says that when you d put a comma at the end of a quotation before the attribution but the quotation ends in a question mark you should omit the comma.

Quotes with question mark and comma. The song asks would you like to swing on a star. If the quoted words are a question put the question mark inside the quotation marks. Does punctuation go inside or outside quotation marks. How to punctuate quotations with question marks.

They are all important factors in ensuring your writing is as clear and understandable as. Do you believe the saying it is better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don t want and get it. Merry christmas squiggly said. The greatest confusion arises when exclamation points and other punctuation marks appear at the end of a sentence.

This question mostly refers to the sentence ending punctuation marks punctuation marks that introduce a quote are never placed within quotation marks. Punctuation includes capitals commas question marks exclamation marks quotation marks and full stops. In the middle of a sentence. The gang remarked lola s candidate is a sure bet.

When a quotation ends with an exclamation point a comma that would ordinarily be placed inside the closing quotation mark is omitted. Such doubled punctuation improves the readability of the sentence. If a quotation ending with a question mark or an exclamation point is immediately followed by a clause of attribution no comma is inserted. Is it almost over he asked.

In english we typically use a comma to separate a quotation from an attributive tag a tag that tells the reader who is speaking or acting e g he thought or said he even if the quote would usually end in a period. Sentence ending punctuation is a whole different story. See here for a brief explanation of the british style commas and periods that are part of the overall sentence go inside the quotation marks even though they aren t part of the original quotation. Lola replied he s not my candidate.

For examples of most such pairings see the terminal punctuation chart. How many days until christmas. If the entire sentence is a question put the question mark outside the quotation marks. Question marks with quotation marks.

There was a storm last night paul said. However if the quote is a question a question mark needs to be used to show the reader that the sentence is an interrogative sentence. When the speaker tag comes last put a comma inside the quotation marks and a period at the end of the sentence. 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.

Lola s candidate isn t a sure bet now the gang continued.