Grammar question

[Xendance]

I've always wondered this. Does quotation marks ending a quote come after a full stop, or before? Examples:

"I have a cat".
or:
"I have a cat."

May sound wierd, but I want to know. I've always written it the first way, as after that full stop, its another sentence. If you dont understand, sorry.

 

[Qonfused]

"I have a cat."

If you're saying it in the middle of a sentence:

She said, "I have a cat," to me.

If it has punctuation other than a period:

She said, "I have a cat!" to me.

She said, "I have a cat?" to me.

 

[JNightshade]

"I have a cat."

If you're saying it in the middle of a sentence:

She said, "I have a cat," to me.

If it has punctuation other than a period:

She said, "I have a cat!" to me.

She said, "I have a cat?" to me.

What he said.

 

[Baal]

It's unbelivable how common that mistake is made. It's not a major mistake, but it is one none-the-less.

And I notice it, a lot.

 

[Narcolepsy]

But it gets more complicated. Here's something I've never been sure on:

Let's say what you have is not actually a cat, but some sort of lion. And you're saying "cat" to be witty. Then, is it:

I have a "cat". OR
I have a "cat."

 

[JNightshade]

Same here. My parents raised me to love and respect the English language, and I damn well intend to do so!

 

[Qonfused]

But it gets more complicated. Here's something I've never been sure on:

Let's say what you have is not actually a cat, but some sort of lion. And you're saying "cat" to be witty. Then, is it:

I have a "cat". OR
I have a "cat."

For that, I believe it's "cat". I've been confused (lol) about this for a little while as well.

 

[Baal]

Same here. My parents raised me to love and respect the English language, and I damn well intend to do so!

Indeed.

But to answer Narc's question, I would assume that it's still

I have a "cat."

 

[Baal]

For that, I believe it's "cat". I've been confused (lol) about this for a little while as well.

Oh god, who's right?!

I don't think under any circumstances

"blah blah".

is acceptable.

 

[Narcolepsy]

Ah, the mystery is solved by the internets. Truly they know everything.

Punctuation with Quotation Marks

Use a comma to introduce a quotation after a standard dialogue tag, a brief introductory phrase, or a dependent clause, for example, "He asked," "She stated," "According to Bronson," or "As Shakespeare wrote." Use a colon to introduce a quotation after an independent clause.

As D. H. Nachas explains, "The gestures used for greeting others differ greatly from one culture to another."

D. H. Nachas explains cultural differences in greeting customs: "Touching is not a universal sign of greeting. While members of European cultures meet and shake hands as a gesture of greeting, members of Asian cultures bow to indicate respect."

Put commas and periods within closing quotation marks, except when a parenthetical reference follows the quotation.

He said, "I may forget your name, but I never remember a face."

History is stained with blood spilled in the name of "civilization."

Mullen, criticizing the apparent inaction, writes, "Donahue's policy was to do nothing" (27).

Put colons and semicolons outside closing quotation marks.

Williams described the experiment as "a definitive step forward"; other scientists disagreed.

Benedetto emphasizes three elements of what she calls her "Olympic journey": family support, personal commitment, and great coaching.

Put a dash, question mark, or exclamation point within closing quotation marks when the punctuation applies to the quotation itself and outside when it applies to the whole sentence.

Philip asked, "Do you need this book?"

Does Dr. Lim always say to her students, "You must work harder"?

Sharon shouted enthusiastically, "We won! We won!"

I can't believe you actually like that song, "If You Wanna Be My Lover"!

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_quote.html

So apparently, it's:

I have a "cat."

 

[Stigmata]

For that, I believe it's "cat". I've been confused (lol) about this for a little while as well.

Wouldn't he be using apostrophes instead of quotation marks, since it's not a direct quote?

I have a 'cat'. -- ?

 

[dfc05]

I think the only time you'd use apostrophes are for quotes inside quotes.

 

[Qonfused]

We've settled that apostrophes and quotes are interchangeable.

 

[Stigmata]

We've settled that apostrophes and quotes are interchangeable.

Oh.

Bah. BAH, I say!

 

[zleppelin]

The right quote always goes last.

"Like this," not "like this".

 

[Bad^Hat]

Haha, been wondering about this for a while too.

Jesus, this much be the most grammatically correct forum on the internets.

 

[JNightshade]

Heh, yep

 

[Qonfused]

You are correct.

Fixed.

Jesus, this much be the most grammatically correct forum on the internets.

It better stay this way. I can't stand AIM-chat on forums.

 

[Dalamari]

i kno its so hard 2 reed there stuf

 

[Link]

With the whole punctuation inside or outside the quotes, the general rule is, if the punctuation is part of the quote, its inside, if its part of the sentance, its outside.

So for the example:
I have a "cat". OR
I have a "cat."

It would be:
I have a "cat".
because the punctuation is for the entire sentance, not the quote. However, if you were quoting some as saying I have a cat, you would punctuate the quote within the marks thus:

My friend said "I have a cat." to me.

Bascially, the way I think of it is to treat everything inside the quote marks as a self contained sentance.

 

[Qonfused]

However, if you were quoting some as saying I have a cat, you would punctuate the quote within the marks thus:

My friend said "I have a cat." to me.

Bascially, the way I think of it is to treat everything inside the quote marks as a self contained sentance.

Actually, it would be: My friend said, "I have a cat," to me. But whatever, your point still stands.

 

[bryanf445]

Now what about if its a parenthetical citation? Like "I have a cat" (Johnson 21).

Doesn't the period go after the parenthesis?

 

[Qonfused]

Since it is a proper noun (or whatever), it doesn't follow the comma thing ("I have a cat,") and would go after the parenthesis.

Hmm... I'm probably wrong.

 

[Viperidae]

It's different for question/exclamation marks. If there's a question, you'd say:

Did he say 'help me'?

I'm pretty sure he did say 'help me'!

Otherwise it would indicate that the original sentence was a question.

 

[Stigmata]

Now what about if its a parenthetical citation? Like "I have a cat" (Johnson 21).

Doesn't the period go after the parenthesis?

I think the period can go either before the citation or after (though still outside the quotation). I think it's either because MLA and APA styles conflict on this, or neither of them explicitly state which placement is preferred.

 

[Link]

Actually, it would be: My friend said, "I have a cat," to me. But whatever, your point still stands.

Why would it be a comma when the quote is a complete sentance? I'm not saying your wrong, I just don't see why.

 

[Baal]

Haha, been wondering about this for a while too.

Jesus, this much be the most grammatically correct forum on the internets.

I was as well, but I never really bothered to research, but I made a note of it when I saw examples of this in texts and other professional documents. Textbooks always used the punctuation inside the quotation marks, while lesser professional documents tend to be about 75% inside the quotes, 25% outside the quotes.

Oh, and if you consider this the most grammatically correct forum on the internet(s), then would you consider this our Bizarro World?

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