How to Punctuate Quotes

Commas, Periods, Question Marks - Before or After Quotation Marks?

Sep 10, 2008
Megan B. Wyatt

Punctuation order can be challenging. - CCC Commnet

Learning the basic rules of quotes and punctuation associated with quotes will lead to more coherent writing. Even the exceptions aren't too difficult to master.

Quotation marks are most often used to set off direct quotes (usually speech) from the rest of the writing. They are also used to set off titles of poems, short stories, television episodes, scenes from movies, and other short works.

While knowing when to use quotation marks is not usually too difficult, knowing whether to punctuate inside or outside of the quotation marks can sometimes be problematic.

Commas and Periods Placement

A period or comma closing a quote should always be placed within the quotation marks, even single quotation marks.

Liz said, "I just want to get to work."

"Well considering he said 'I don't love her,' I don't think you have anything to worry about," Josh said.

The road sign said "Bridge may ice in cold weather."

Question Mark Placement

A question mark almost always follows the same rules as commas and periods.

"When does the shipment come in?" Jack asked.

The exception, however, is when the actual sentence is a question but the direct quote is not. Only one question mark should be used, outside of the quotation marks, marking that the entire sentence is a question. No period or comma should be placed within the final quote.

Similarly, if a piece (poem, story, episode) is in quotes, but the sentence is a question, the question mark should appear outside of the quotes.

Do you agree with the saying "There's no such thing as a stupid question"?

Which do you find more interesting, " Good Country People" or "A Good Man is Hard to Find"?

If both the sentence and quote within the sentence are questions, only use one question mark, placed inside of the quotes.

Did Daniel specifically ask, "Did you cheat on me?"

Interrupted Quotes

When a quote is interrupted by a dialogue tag or action, use similar punctuation as mentioned above. If the sentence or question continues after the break, use a comma instead of a period before the opening quotation marks, and lowercase the first letter of the continued sentence.

"I really like the opening band," Sasha said. "They remind me of a group from my hometown."

"On your way home," Linus said, glancing at his watch, "could you pick up the dry cleaning?"

When Not to Use Quotation Marks

Don't use quotations for indirect quotes.

Janet said she would finish the paper by Tuesday night.

Robert asked if he could stay with you during the hurricane.

Also, don't use quotes for information quoted for more than three to four lines (depending on the format of writing). Longer quotes (known as block quotes) should be indented.

Learning how to punctuate quotes can be challenging, but by learning the basic rules and practicing them in everyday writing, they can become second nature. Try to notice the punctuation in reputable books and documents to naturally learn where and when to use quotation marks in your writing.

Comments

Jan 1, 2009 11:33 PM

Guest :

I don't have a comment so much as a question. How do you use quotes when two people are speaking with one another and one of them interupts the other?

Jan 2, 2009 11:29 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

When two people are conversing and one interrupts, use ellipses (three dots)instead of a period at the end of the first person's statement. Then, start a new paragraph with open quotes to write the interrupter's statement. Here's an example:

As she put on her mascara, Jessica looked up innocently at Maria, "Can't you just come with me for a little while, just until..."
"Jessie, we've been through this a hundred times before. I'm not going. Period."

Hope this helps! :)

Jan 13, 2009 2:13 PM

Guest :

this website is very good! i have a pop quiz in englis 2morrow and i am stuck! i am goin 2 bookmark this page!!! love you whoever made this webpage!

Feb 1, 2009 12:52 PM

Wanda Lauerman :

Hello Megan,

I am studying a novel to better understand punctuation around quotes, but the following has me confused:

#1 “Although,” Fran said as Jerry went back to the suit rack, “there’s a lot here to be considered.”

#1 “Let me guess,” he said. “That was not what you wanted to hear. Am I right?”

First Question: There are commas after the first part of both quotes, but why is there a comma after the break in #1, and a period after the break in #2? I believe both breaks are fragments, yes?

Second Question: The quote in #1 resumes with a lowercase t, and the quote in #2 resumes with a capital T.

Is this all correct use of punctuation around quotes?

Many thanks for your help!

Feb 1, 2009 5:27 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Wanda,

Great question! "Let me guess" is technically a sentence, although many people often punctuate it as an introductory clause, so it needs a period before the interrupting action. The new sentence, although related to the opening sentence therefore needs a capital letter.

Another example with a longer first sentence would be: "Judy, where did you put the remote?" Sam asked as he felt beneath the couch cushions. "Nevermind. I found it."

The first example is only a word, with interruption, followed by the rest of the sentence, so it is set off in commas and is lowercased after the interruption.

I think you're on the right track; just be sure to check for sentences that could be mistaken as fragments in the first quote.

Hope this helps! :)

Feb 2, 2009 11:33 AM

Wanda Lauerman :

Megan,

Thank you for such a quick response! Your explanation is easy to understand and will help keep the creative going instead of bottle-necking and possibly undermining that energy. I really appreciate it.

Jul 18, 2009 3:38 PM

Guest :

In the following example, should the comma appear inside or outside the closing quotation mark:
When a child is asked, "What are you thinking?," the likely answer is "Nothing."

Jul 20, 2009 3:50 PM

Guest :

What do you do with this sentence?
The handout is located on the right side of the page under "Current Trainings."
Is this correct, or should the quotation be after the punctuation at the end of a sentence?

Jul 26, 2009 2:36 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

In both of the above questions, the quotes are punctuated correctly. :)

Sep 4, 2009 7:19 AM

Guest :

I have a question. Can you start a new paragraph within the quotation marks?

Sep 4, 2009 11:07 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

That's a good question. I'm a bit ashamed not to have included this in the original article, lol. You can begin a new paragraph with a set of quotes. To do this, do not use closing quotation marks after the paragraph, but DO use opening quotation marks at the start of the new paragraph. For example:

"Pretend like this is somebody talking and talking and talking... He's still talking but he decides to change the topic.

"It is still him talking right here because the other dialogue was never closed. He continues talking until readers see this closing punctuation."

Hope that helps! :)

Sep 14, 2009 1:27 PM

Guest :

Is it possible that a sentence can have the puntuation mark after the quotation marks? (Like "?)

Sep 14, 2009 1:31 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Yes, this is possible. Please refer to the second section "Question Mark Placement" in the article for the rules and exceptions of when the question marks should appear outside of the question mark. :)

Sep 16, 2009 2:26 AM

Guest :

Megan! I need help with what has rightly been termed elsewhere as "The question mark/comma/quotation mark debacle."

What to do with a sentence like this: "In practice, my conversational skills weren’t much more than a few stock phrases like “How are you?” “Good Afternoon,” (which I was mispronouncing, thereby actually greeting people by saying, “Beautiful Japanese”; maybe they thought I was referring to myself) and the often-used and soon perfected, “I don’t know how to speak Tagalog yet.”

1) Should a comma follow "like"?
2) What about "How are you?" It's part of a series and needs to be separated, but should it be "'How are you?,' 'Good afternoon,'" OR "'How are you?', 'Good afternoon'"?
3) Should the comma be inside the quotes or after the closing parenthesis, as in "'Good afternoon,' (which...myself) and the..." OR "'Good afternoon' (which ... myself), and the...."
4) If you wouldn't mind taking a look at my other punctuation also, I'd be much obliged :).

But to get back to that question mark/comma/quotation mark issue, here's another example:

"My favorite hymn, "Where Can I Turn For Peace?" has a beautiful bass line."
Should this be "My favorite hymn, "Where Can I Turn For Peace?," has a beautiful bass line."
OR
"My favorite hymn, "Where Can I Turn For Peace?", has a beautiful bass line"?

Very sorry for the lengthy question, but this deal with quoted questions in a series or subordinate clause has been driving me crazy. If the quoted material ends with an exclamation mark, would it be the same also? Thanks in advance!

Greg

Sep 16, 2009 8:41 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Greg,

Wow! You've been seriously thinking about quotation mark placement, lol. Good for you. I'll try my best to answer your questions.

1) No, a comma should not follow "like."
2) Because this is a complicated series of quoted sayings, it is best to use semicolons to separate the sayings instead of commas. Place the semicolons between quoted sayings. But honestly, I think you'd be better off not using a series of quotes within quotes. You could rewrite the sentence since the last item in the series is already separated from the rest of the list.
3) I think the comma (or semicolon) would be better suited outside of the parenthetical information because it is related to the previous saying, although using an em dash might be less confusing than parenthesis.
4) All of the quoted sayings within the actual speech should only use single quotation marks, not double quotation marks. Because this is such a complicated quote, you might consider altering the wording to make the punctuation less cumbersome.

Here's how I would write what you are saying, but this is just my way of simplifying it and shouldn't be accepted at the "right" or "only" way of writing it...

"In practice, my conversational skills weren’t much more than a few stock phrases like 'How are you?' and 'Good Afternoon' — which I was mispronouncing, thereby actually greeting people by saying, 'Beautiful Japanese.' Maybe they thought I was referring to myself. And finally, my often-used and soon perfected stock phrase: 'I don’t know how to speak Tagalog yet.'"

Do you see how the above-written sentence seems less laden with punctuation? Punctuation's purpose is to guide readers and shouldn't make itself known... when it does it's typically because it's confusing or misleading. You want your sentences easily-read with a natural flow. :)

As far as your second example goes, I think using em dashes instead of commas would once again create a less-clunky sentence and reduce reader confusion. If you were to use commas, however, the comma should be between the question mark and quotation mark.

"My favorite hymn — 'Where Can I Turn For Peace?' — has a beautiful bass line."

Hope all of that helps you! Never be afraid to rewrite something in a simpler fashion. It's always better to write a simple sentence correctly than to write a complicated sentence confusingly. That's my golden rule of grammar. =)

Megan

Sep 20, 2009 5:32 PM

Guest :

I am searching desperately for an answer to a seemingly simple question.

When do you use a comma instead of a period at the end of a dialogue quote?
For example,
The patrons walked around the room. "To your left you will find a place to sit," Lance said.

In the above statement I used a comma to end the dialogue quote. When you use a period at the end of the quote? Or should I use a period instead?

-Pati Bartlett

Sep 20, 2009 8:32 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Pati,

Use a comma if there is a dialogue tag (a phrase with he/she said/exclaimed/murmured/etc). If nothing follows the quote, use a period, or if a complete sentence follows the quote use a period.

"Hang on a second," Janie said.
"Hang on a second."
"Hang on a second." Janie finished writing then looked up at her friend.

Sep 21, 2009 1:27 PM

Guest :

I have a question regarding direct quotes (as in a research essay)For example, the following quote:
Paul is terrified by his father’s expectations of a simple, predictable life working in a large firm like the other men in the neighborhood “…mere rivets in a machine they seemed to Paul” (246).
Should there be a comma after neighborhood?
Also:
Using the money he has stolen to procure fashionable new clothes and a posh hotel suite, Paul is free to play the role he has imagined for himself “…he was exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be” (245).
Should there be a period or a comma after himself?
Thanks for your help!

Sep 21, 2009 2:04 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Excellent questions. It would be better if you could work your quotes more organically into the sentences. In your examples the quotes begin abruptly, interrupting the sentence that precedes it. The quotes are related and make valid points, but try rewriting them to something of this effect:

Paul is terrified by his father’s expectations of a simple, predictable life working in a large firm like the other men in the neighborhood. He views them as “mere rivets in a machine” (246).

Using the money he has stolen to procure fashionable new clothes and a posh hotel suite, Paul is free to play the role he has imagined for himself, being "exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be” (245).

By working the quotes into the sentences themselves, readers can follow your points much more easily and the quotes will not reveal themselves as readily.

:) Megan

Sep 23, 2009 6:55 PM

Guest :

hello! i'm using a word in a sentence that for all intents and purposes, i've made up...
do i use "the word i made up." or "the word i made up".
just not sure where to put the period.
thanks so much, in advance, for your help.

Sep 23, 2009 7:48 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

The period should come before the quotation marks: "the word you made up."

:) Meg

Sep 23, 2009 8:59 PM

Guest :

hey, thanks for the help with the word i made up:)

Sep 28, 2009 11:39 AM

Guest :

What a super site! I have been unsuccessful in searching for punctuation help for the following, a list of questions in a sentence... the test involved eight questions, for example, How does this relate to that? where do I put these shoes? What time will they arrive?

Sep 28, 2009 2:23 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

There's a few ways you can write questions in a series. You can write each question separately as you did in your example, but instead of a comma leading to the questions, I would use a colon (:) after the words "for example."

You could also write the questions with the numbers before each question to help readers follow the eight questions.

Oct 14, 2009 9:26 AM

Guest :

How to use periods in case of a reference after quotation marks. For example: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” (Acts 1:7).
Is this correct?

Oct 14, 2009 2:12 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

You're close! Just take out the period before the quotation marks.

“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7).

Oct 18, 2009 6:21 AM

Guest :

Thank you for all your help on this site! If you are ending a sentence with the quoted title of a short work of art (e.g., you are using quotation marks to distinguish it), and the title includes a question mark but your sentence is not a question, how do you punctuate the end of the sentence?

I enjoyed reading "Shall We Walk?".

Oct 20, 2009 7:51 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

This is correct. :)

I enjoyed reading "Shall We Walk?".

Oct 28, 2009 11:35 AM

Guest :

Megan,
Should the comma go inside or outside the quotation marks? Thank you.

Many people feel that life expectancy is "all in the genes", and that the aging process is little affected by our living habits.

Oct 28, 2009 3:45 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

It should go on the inside of the quotation marks, but to be quite honest, you don't really need a comma there to begin with. :)

Nov 5, 2009 6:41 PM

Guest :

Hi Megan - Here's an example I haven't been able to find a definitive answer to online:
"Is the party over?" she asked.
OR
"Is the party over?" She asked.
All the examples I see have proper names (capitalized) instead of pronouns.
Thanks,
Chris

Nov 5, 2009 7:28 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

All dialogue tags should be lowercased (unless, as you've mentioned it is a proper noun beginning the tag). Only capitalize what follows the quotation when it is a complete sentence (She glanced at her watch.) and not a tag (he said, she declared, she asked in annoyance, etc).

"Is the party over?" she asked. <-- Correct.

Dec 11, 2009 10:28 AM

Guest :

Can you please tell me how to punctuate (or if punctuation is unnecessary) a list of items being quoted?

For example, in the above sentence I said the words, "punctuate", "items", and "quoted". Or is it I said the words "punctuate," "items," and "quoted."?

If punctuation and/or quotation marks are necessary, please advise as to where they belong (esp. the commas and period). Thanks!

Dec 13, 2009 5:38 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Quotation marks aren't necessary in your example, but if they were, they would be placed as follows: "punctuate," "items," and "quoted."

Jan 5, 2010 8:54 PM

Guest :

How would one punctuate the following sentence?

"Then without warning he too was gone."

I would guess that there should be a comma after the words "then", "warning", "he" and "too". However, that seems like quite a few commas.

Jan 6, 2010 4:55 PM

Guest :

Hi. I had a question about questions and commas. If I were to write: The three short stories "Eleven", "Thank You, Ma'am", and "All Summer In A Day"... would the order of quotation marks and commas be correct?

Jan 7, 2010 8:52 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Punctuate this short sentence with just two commas.

Then, without warning, he too was gone.

:) Megan

Jan 7, 2010 8:54 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Just reverse the commas and quotation marks:
The three short stories "Eleven," "Thank You, Ma'am," and "All Summer In A Day..."
:) Megan

Jan 12, 2010 11:04 AM

Guest :

Is this sentence punctuated correctly? "You have the book!" stated Tom.

Jan 13, 2010 5:26 AM

Megan B. Wyatt :

"You have the book!" stated Tom.

^^ Perfect! :) -Megan

Feb 3, 2010 7:52 AM

Guest :

I find this article so helpful. I am going to use this article as a point of reference. Thank you for making this information available.

Feb 10, 2010 4:36 PM

Guest :

If you want two people talking to each other do you have to start new paragraphs for both all the time?

Feb 16, 2010 4:02 PM

Guest :

I've read all the way through this article looking without luck for the answer to my question.

In describing how to fill out a form, which of the following is correct:

In the Date field, enter "1996".

In the Date field, enter "1996."

Feb 20, 2010 5:59 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

If you want two people talking to each other do you have to start new paragraphs for both all the time?

^^ Yes, you must start new paragraphs for each new character's dialogue (or when the character begins a new paragraph within his conversation). :)

.....

In describing how to fill out a form, which of the following is correct:

In the Date field, enter "1996".

In the Date field, enter "1996."

^^ The second sentence is correct. The period should always be inside the quotation marks. :)

Mar 3, 2010 3:10 AM

Guest :

I found it enlightening! Please I have a question! Where should the comma be placed in the example below? Or doesn't it require one?

"Have you taken your medication?" her mother asked.

Mar 4, 2010 9:34 AM

Guest :

Thanks for the response to my question, Megan.

You said:

In describing how to fill out a form, which of the following is correct:

In the Date field, enter "1996".

In the Date field, enter "1996."

^^ The second sentence is correct. The period should always be inside the quotation marks. :)

Which leads me to wonder if the person to whom the instructions are directed may be confused about whether to enter the period on the form. This is confusing enough that one frequently sees:

In the Date field, enter "1986" (without the quotes).

Maybe this is done simply to avoid deciding where to put the period.

Mar 4, 2010 8:58 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

I found it enlightening! Please I have a question! Where should the comma be placed in the example below? Or doesn't it require one?

"Have you taken your medication?" her mother asked.

^^ No comma is required as the question mark serves as the comma normally would. :)

Mar 4, 2010 9:00 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Which leads me to wonder if the person to whom the instructions are directed may be confused about whether to enter the period on the form. This is confusing enough that one frequently sees:

In the Date field, enter "1986" (without the quotes).

Maybe this is done simply to avoid deciding where to put the period.

^^ I see what you are saying and it would be appropriate to omit the quotation marks or italicize the text instead of quoting it. :) But most people wouldn't include the period just because it was in quotes... I hope! ;)

Mar 16, 2010 4:56 PM

Guest :

Please can i ask one question... is this correct?
I'm so confused. So many websites contradict each other. The feedback above seems to suggest that i have got this wrong:
This persuades by saying something is ‘the best ever’, ‘the most economical’, ‘unique’.
Should the punctuation be outside or within the speech marks?
Thank you in advance for your help. I have been stressing about this for hours... i know it's sad.

Mar 17, 2010 7:04 PM

Megan B. Wyatt :

Commas should always be on the inside of the quotation marks. And be sure to use two quotation marks.

This persuades by saying something is "the best ever," "the most economical," "unique."

:)

May 3, 2010 8:47 PM

Guest :

thank you for this great piece of work

May 12, 2010 7:46 AM

Guest :

I am still a little confused on the comma or period thing. Is there a time whenyou would put a period in stead of a comma? For example, "I like that." stated Jan. Or do you use a comma. I've seen comma and period, but am confused as to when to use either one.

May 15, 2010 5:16 PM

Guest :

Alright, I get what you do with one interruption, but say that you're interrupted for a second time or a third time? How would you write it with the quotes?

May 15, 2010 5:17 PM

Guest :

Alright, I get what you do with one interruption, but say that you're interrupted for a second time or a third time? How would you write it with the quotes?

May 27, 2010 11:15 AM

Guest :

I'm having trouble trying to distinguish between introducing a sentence that has an explanation and a quote that explains that introduction if that quote has a colon in it too. In my use of colons I started out: Aside from these alarming statistics, receiving a DUI is a trend in drunk driving that can inform readers on: Death: Including drunken driving crashes, nearly 1,400 college students pass away annually in accidents stemming from alcohol related incidents.

Jun 13, 2010 8:14 AM

Guest :

how do you punctuate a quote from a book?

Jul 15, 2010 8:30 AM

Guest :

Which is correct:

Jeffery looks around, “Things seem the same.”
Jeffery looks around. “Things seem the same.”

Aug 16, 2010 3:57 AM

Guest :

This is very useful stuff. But there is one small topic I hoped to find that wasn't covered. I always indicate interrupted speech in this way:
'Look, I didn't meant to offend you. I was only-'
'Oh, go and get stuffed.'

The problem I have is when a question is interrupted. Do you use a question mark or not? Example:
'Did you remember to bring the-'
'Of course I did.'

or should it be:

'Did you remember to bring the-?'
'Of course I did.'

Sep 17, 2010 2:42 PM

Guest :

Would this be correct?
In a list is it acceptable to write it as such:
"Blah blah blah", he screamed, and started to cry.

Sep 19, 2010 1:32 PM

Guest :

In this sentence does the i need to be a capital------- Hello bob,i'll wait there for you.

Nov 17, 2010 7:03 PM

Guest :

Hi! I am asking about a kind a punctuation that hasn't been mentioned, I don't think. I am taking a direct quote from a story.

The original sentence from a story: He left his book at the bottom of his coat pocket and the papers under the document: never was a man taken more unawares.

And this is the current sentence I have:
The quote, "never was a man taken more unawares," conveys the theme.

Is that correct? Thank you!

Nov 28, 2010 10:30 AM

Guest :

How do I handle this one - it comes up often when writing assignments for students:

In the fifth chunk of Sarah, Plain and Tall, discover the author's decision to the question: "Will Sarah stay?"

It's a statement, which normally ends with a period, but I've used a question in the form of a quote.

Jan 25, 2011 5:33 PM

Guest :

give me a sentence with a question mark and quotes but a simple easy one about sports

Feb 23, 2011 3:38 PM

Guest :

I think it was informative, but I would like to know how to correctly punctuate this sentence:

"I can't," gasp, "believe that," gasp, "you still, hahaha, like him!"

It would be awesome to know how, but I don't know how so if someone could help?

Mar 24, 2011 6:28 PM

Guest :

In a letter to the editor, was is the proper way to list multiple quotes?

Jun 15, 2011 12:15 AM

Guest :

Very helpful.

Jun 26, 2011 3:14 PM

Guest :

I have a question about using multiple quotation marks within the same sentence. For example:

Foo Dogs, also known as "Fu Dogs," "Fo Dogs," "Foo Lions," "Lion Dogs," "Shi-Shi Dogs" and the “Lion of Buddha,” are regal creatures that guarded Buddhist temples inf the far East over two thousand years ago.

Does the comma still go before the end quote of each name?

Sep 19, 2011 3:17 PM

Guest :

I don't have a comment as much as a question. Do you capitalize the first letter printed inside the qoutation marks even when is on the middle?

Oct 18, 2011 1:44 PM

Guest :

"Thanks for the help!" said Josh.

69 Comments

How to Punctuate Quotes

Commas, Periods, Question Marks - Before or After Quotation Marks?

Commas and Periods Placement

Popular topics

Question Mark Placement

Interrupted Quotes

When Not to Use Quotation Marks

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