The more e-mails that I see,the more pages from websites that I visit, and the more I read documents that come across my computer or desk, the more I notice that the comma and period use with quotation marks have been misused.
When you revisit your e-mails, webpages, and other documents, do you have this punctuation correct? Anything with quotation marks around it: a name, a thought, an article, or a direct quotation needs to have the comma and/or period inside.
Let’s get the “prize”. This is wrong. The period stays inside the quotation marks; therefore, “prize.” It’s also the same for the comma: it stays inside the quotation marks.
Browse your local newspaper and notice where the commas and periods are placed when the sentence contains quotation marks: they are always inside the punctuation…always.
Examples: He needs to get “a grip.”
“I don’t know,” remarked Sarah.
Remember to read, “To Blog or Not to Blog.”
Place your commas and periods where with the quotation marks? That’s right, inside. (The one exception is when you use parentheses; I’ll address this later.)
Enjoy,
