Help!.
Is there a simply rule for where the full stop (Period) goes in relation to quotation marks. It's driving me potty.
Should it be, "Don't run. It upsets him."
or; "Don't run. It upsets him".
Help!.
Is there a simply rule for where the full stop (Period) goes in relation to quotation marks. It's driving me potty.
Should it be, "Don't run. It upsets him."
or; "Don't run. It upsets him".
Here I am, late to the party!
A little explanation: the full stop comes inside the inverted commas because the phrase that is being completed is part of the speech.
"Don't run. It upsets him." The inverted commas refer to all that is spoken - all that lies between them; the full stop ends the sentence which is only one part of that speech. It's the inverted commas that say where the spoken words begin and end, and the full stop after each sentence shows that each is, in fact, a complete sentence.
Don't run.
It upsets him.
They stand alone as sentences, and so each must have a capital and a full stop.
"Don't run." The inverted commas tell us that this sentence, complete as it is, is spoken.
"Don't run. It upsets him." Both sentences, complete with their punctuation, appear within marks to show that the pair of them have been spoken by one person in one speech.
Hope this makes sense to you!
Lorraine
"Lorraine. Where are you when we need you?", he cried.
I'm waiting to see what Lorraine says on this.