Quoth the Writer: “What Is the Absolute Right Way to Use Quotation Marks?”
A primer — viewed from both sides of the big pond
RULES IS RULES
There isn’t one right way. A Pen2Profit subscriber lamented that she was confused by quotation mark conventions US vs other citizens of the world. Yes, the eternal struggle — a battle fought mainly by grammar nerds, editors, and anyone who’s ever hesitated before typing a period. So here’s my no-quite-definitive guide to punctuation and quotation marks.
Quotes American style
If you’re in the U.S., commas and periods are needy clingers — they always go inside the quotation marks, whether they belong there or not. Logic? Who cares?
Example: She said, “I love reading.” (That period? It’s inside, no questions asked.)
Example: I watched the movie “The Matrix.” (Like I said, periods go inside the quotes — always.) Period.
However, question marks, exclamation points, colons, and semicolons actually use common sense — they only go inside if they belong to a quote like dialog, a colloquialism, a title — when the punctuation is part of something that needs quotes.
Example: Did she say, “I will come”? (The question mark applies to the whole sentence, not the quote, so it stays outside.)
Example: He said, “We need more coffee!” (That exclamation point? It’s 100% part of the quote. It stays.)
Rule Britannia — or How Does the Rest of the World See It?
The Brits, ever so practical, say that commas and periods should only go inside the quotation marks if they actually belong there. Shocking, I know.
Example: She said, “I love reading”. (The period is outside because it wasn’t in the original quote. Revolutionary. And it drives me crazy when I edit Britsh writers’ work.)
Example: I watched the movie “The Matrix”. (No stray punctuation forcing its way in — just the title, pure and unbothered in the quotes and then the period — outside. All alone and sad.)
As for question marks, exclamation points, and the like, they follow the same logic as American style:
Example: Did she say, “I will come”?
Example: He said, “We need more coffee!”
Canadian style, eh?
Now, if you’re in Canada, things get… complicated. Because Canada, in all its polite indecisiveness, flips between American and British rules depending on the style guide, the editor, or how much coffee was consumed before making a decision.
Generally, though, they lean British — so expect those commas and periods to hang outside the quotation marks most of the time.
That said, if you’re working with The Chicago Manual of Style, you’re basically using American rules. If you’re using The Oxford Style Manual, it’s British rules all the way.
The best approach? Pick a lane and stay in it. Consistency makes you look intentional. However, you may stumble into some editor, somewhere, who goes all Machiavellian and insists their power is absolute. You’ll have to conform or move on.
Bonus round: Single or double quotation marks?
We’re talking about what to do with dialog or material quoted from a source.
Americans? Double quotes. Always. Unless it’s a quote within a quote like, “Joe said ‘no cream,’ right?” or “Did Mark Twain say, ‘There’s a sucker born every minute’ “? (note the single, then double end quotation marks.)
Brits? Single quotes. I think there are no exceptions, and to confuse things further, nested quotes — quotes within quotes — then often get double marks. It’s the opposite of the US. With relief, I say, those lovely Englishers are coming around to US style slowly but surely. Very slowly.
Canadians? Easy-going folks, easy to please. They use mostly single quotes, but they’ll go with double if it fits the style guide, their mood, or it’s Tuesday.
Who uses both italics and quotation marks for dialog?
Honestly, almost no one — unless they’re making a very specific style choice or they’re long out of touch with the writing world. But it does happen, and is sometimes the right choice.
Book titles in certain contexts: The Great Gatsby vs. “I love The Great Gatsby.” This is always correct. Book titles in italics even when nested inside a quote.
Foreign words that are also quoted: “She called it joie de vivre.”
Emphasis within a quote: “I said no.”
Just know that putting dialog in italics and then wrapping it in quotes brands you as an amateur. Wrong, dead wrong: The man said, “If you’re gonna shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.” Lose the italics. (BTW, 10 points if you can name the actor who said that and the movie.)
There you have it. A perfectly arguable but strangely satisfying deep dive into quotation mark punctuation. Use it wisely — or however your editor tells you to.
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I may be an odd one. I had a scholarship to a college, but when I took the placement test to determine what classes I would be in, I failed the English test and was placed in what we called the "dumbell English class." I also had to take a foreign language, so I chose German. I really learned my English grammar in my German class. I am 87 now and am delinquent in grammar, and also, I am too wobbly to ride a bicycle.
This was a fun—and extremely helpful—romp through the use of quotation marks and italicized titles. Thank you, Maryan!