P6-b Follow convention in using punctuation at the end of a quotation, after a signal phrase or speaker tag (she said), and with other punctuation.
P6-b Follow convention in using punctuation at the end of a quotation, after a signal phrase or speaker tag (she said), and with other punctuation.
Place a comma or a period inside the closing quotation mark.
In a research paper following either MLA style or APA style, the closing quotation mark should follow the last quoted word, but the period at the end of the sentence should follow the parentheses enclosing the citation.
Note: Place a colon or semicolon outside the closing quotation mark.
- The doctor who tells the story says that the girl is “furious”; she shrieks “terrifyingly, hysterically” as he approaches her.
Follow an introductory phrase with either a comma or the word that.
When you introduce a formal quotation with an independent clause, you can instead follow the introduction with a colon. (See P4-a.)
Place a question mark or an exclamation point inside the closing quotation mark if it is part of the quotation, or outside if it is part of your own sentence.
You do not need to add a period if a question mark or an exclamation point concludes a quotation at the end of the sentence.
Supply a closing quotation mark at the end of a paragraph to show that a new quotation begins in the next paragraph.
Omit the closing quotation mark if a quotation continues in the next paragraph.
