Punctuating quotes: Periods, commas go inside quote marks

By Dick Thien
Chips Quinn Writing Coach

1. Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.
EXAMPLE: "You must remember that periods and commas go inside quotation marks," he said.

2. Do not put a space between the quotation marks and the matter being quoted or between the marks and first word in the quoted passage.

NOT: "Do not space between quote marks and statement, "she said.

BUT: "Do not space between quote marks and statement," she said.

3. When a quote consists of two or more paragraphs -- without attribution between them -- omit the ending quote marks until the end of the passage.
EXAMPLE: In her lecture the teacher said: "If you don't learn how to punctuate quotes, editors will think you are an idiot. Ignorance is bliss but it doesn't pay very well.

"I'd rather be rich than happy."

4. When quoting a full sentence, capitalize the first word of the quotation.
EXAMPLE: The mayor said, "Complaints are part of the day's work."

5. When using partial quotes, do not capitalize and do not use a comma to set off the quoted portion from the rest of the sentence.
EXAMPLE: The mayor said she was "sick and tired of hearing the same complaints."

6. When a quote follows the subordinating conjunction that, do not capitalize the first word or set the quote off with a comma.
EXAMPLE: The mayor said that "complaints are part of the day's work."

7. As a general rule, place the attribution after a direct quotation. By doing so, you put emphasis on what is said rather than who is saying it.

NOT: The mayor said, "Complaints are part of the day's work."

BUT: "Complaints are part of the day's work," the mayor said.

Exceptions:

A. Partial quotes and paraphrases usually read more naturally with attribution first.
EXAMPLE: The mayor said that "complaints . . . "

B. When who is saying something is more worthy of emphasis than what is being said, then attribution should take precedence.
EXAMPLE: Chancellor James Moeser said, "The campus should become the students' second home."

C. When you shift from one speaker to another (this also applies to paraphrases), tell the reader immediately. Do not let the reader assume that Speaker A is still holding forth when you have switched to Speaker B.

NOT: "In the downtown, parking problems sometimes occur," Lt. Albert Maxey of the Lincoln Police Department said. "In addition, some vehicles are vandalized."

"Things aren't terribly serious, but there are incidences of poor judgment," Bob Fey said. He handles campus parking.

BUT: "In the downtown, . . . some vehicles are vandalized."

Bob Fey, who handles the city's parking, said, "Things aren't terribly serious, but . . ."

D. In longer quotes, where putting the speaker last would leave the reader in the dark too long about who is being cited. In such instances, either start with the attribution or put it at the first natural pause in the quotation.

8. When a quotation is set up in the preceding paragraph, you may not need to include "he said."

EXAMPLE: (from "Best Newspaper Writing"):
      Too many people, the mayor says, have indulged in self-flagellation and guilt over matters of race.
      "I am not guilt-ridden. My father was not a slave-holder. . . . We were poor. . . . I want to help poor people, right?"

9. When attribution comes first, and the quoted material is lengthy, use a colon (:) instead of a comma. The Associated Press rule is to use a colon to introduce passages of more than one sentence within a paragraph.

EXAMPLE: (from "Best Newspaper Writing 1981"):
      Robert Jones, chairman of the re-election campaign committee, said: "The events of the last four days, the Twin Towers they came down on us. It brought back all of the frustrations of the last year."

10. Also use a colon to introduce a quotation if the latter is to be set in its own paragraph.
EXAMPLE: (an alternate for previous example):
Robert Jones, the chairman of the re-election campaign committee, said: "The events of . . ."

11. As a rule, give a quotation a paragraph of its own, even though it is closely related to the material preceding it.
EXAMPLE: Bush echoed that theme later, calling for "a new solidarity" in the hemisphere based on economic growth.
      "We are not against anyone in Central America; we are for the people there," he told an audience of business executives at the White House.

TRICKY TRIOS

Cite, Site and Sight
Sight refers to vision; site to a place, such as a building site; and cite to a source of information, as in he cited the law.

Rain, Rein, Reign
Rain refers to precipitation; rein to a strap for controlling a horse; and reign to the holding of power, as in the king reigned or happiness reigned.

USAGE TRICKS AND TRAPS

Over
Although dictionaries accept the use of "over" to mean "more than," newspapers editors and The Associated Press stylebook do not. (In an AP survey, 78 of 102 magazine and newspaper editors said they would change "over" to "more than.")

NOT: He hit over 30 home runs.

BUT: He hit more than 30 home runs.

However and Therefore
Many writers punctuate their sentences as though these words were conjunctions, when in fact they are being used as adverbs.

Result: a comma splice that incorrectly merges two sentences into one. When "however" or "therefore" join two independent clauses, use a semicolon before the word to separate the two clauses.

NOT: The gladiator spoke softly, however he carried a big stick.

BUT: The gladiator spoke softly; however he carried a big stick.

SPELLING WORDS

all right (always two words)
embarrass
dependent
harass, harassment

About the column

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