Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

Inside or outside?
Punctuation problems

WHERE, OH WHERE, DO THE QUOTATION MARKS GO?

You’re going to want to argue with me on this one, so be forewarned. The common mistake is following logic in the placement of quotation marks when they fall next to other punctuation marks. The rules on this issue are illogical. So, let me give you the lowdown on how these rules evolved.

When periods, commas, colons, semicolons, and question marks fall next to quotation marks, you treat them differently—according to their size.

Periods and commas always go INSIDE quotation marks—regardless of the meaning.

Semicolons and colons always go OUTSIDE quotation marks—regardless of the meaning.

Question marks and exclamation marks can go INSIDE or OUTSIDE quotation marks—DEPENDING on the meaning.

(Forgive me for shouting at you with the uppercase here, but that’s because I don’t want you to doze off and miss those important key words.)

So how did we get in this predicament? Back in the days before printing was automated, real people served as typesetters (no, not Bill Gates and Michael Dell). They actually placed wooden or metal letters into a case (the case looked like a jewelry box with many rows separated into compartments). Once the case was filled with all the letters to make a block of text, the printer turned the case over and imprinted the letters onto paper. (I know this may be hard to visualize, but bear with me here.)

There was no problem with the full-size letters staying in place when the case was turned upside down. But the smaller punctuation marks—namely, the commas and periods—frequently fell out of the case when the typesetter tipped it over to press it onto the paper.

So printers, being practical people, simply decided to move those little troubling commas and periods to the inside of the larger quotation marks. Those bigger marks helped hold the smaller marks in place. Over time, the printers overpowered the grammarians of the day. The rules for quotation marks changed forever.

So let me sum up by giving you some illogical but correctly punctuated sentences as examples.

Correct:

He hates signing “contracts.” (Yes, the period belongs to the whole sentence. But meaning doesn’t matter. When a period falls next to a quotation mark, it goes inside.)

He hates signing “contracts,” but the vendor needs the paperwork. (Yes, the comma separates the two halves of the sentence. But meaning doesn’t matter. When the comma falls next to a quotation mark, it goes inside.)

If the ad says “standard accommodations,” be wary.

Pongo claims that standard accommodations are better than, “Sorry, but we have no more rooms available.”

Dilbert dislikes auditors trained in “best practices”; those “best practices” always seem to be working in organizations unlike ours. (This semicolon looks correct—and it is. It separates two halves of the sentence.)

The contract specifies “light snacks”: fruit, cheeses, and crackers. (This colon looks correct—and it is. It follows the complete first half of the sentence and precedes the list.)

Our executives may have been watching too much TV when they came up with this year’s theme of “Executing with the Stars”: we even vote people off the payroll. (This colon looks correct—and it is. It follows the complete first half of the sentence and highlights the second half of the sentence.)

The brochure raises this question: “Why go elsewhere for the best meal in town?” (The question mark is fickle; its placement depends on meaning. This sentence is correct because only the part inside the quotation marks is the question.)

The ER nurse continued to ask the elderly patient, “Are you in pain?” (Only the part inside the quotation marks is a question, so the question mark belongs inside as well.)

Is real estate investing still primarily about “location, location, location”? (The question mark goes outside the quotation marks because the entire sentence is the question, not just the part inside the quotation marks.)

One exception: For all of you who learned British English, you can go on your merry way and forget this nonsense. In the British system of punctuation, quotation marks are placed logically—periods, commas, question marks, and so forth can go inside or outside the quotation marks, depending on the meaning of the sentence.

Also, as a side note here, never use double punctuation. When two punctuation marks fall at the same place, use the stronger mark.

Incorrect:

Spike yelled, “I have the winning ticket!,” but the emcee did not hear him.

Correct:

Spike yelled, “I have the winning ticket!” but the emcee did not hear him.

Memory tip

Think of that poor printer setting type by hand.