# American-style punctuation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259 "2012-01-12T04:55:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/41 "2012-01-16T01:14:37Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I learned to do it that way when writing computer code. It makes a heck of a lot of difference whether the punctuation is inside or outside the quote marks in code! Indeed. Or even when communicating computer commands to readers. For example: The **vi** command to delete a single line is: “dd”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/42 "2012-01-16T01:18:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > American style would have the period inside in both cases… It is because the “Rolex” of the example is a _scare quote_ rather than quoted speech? Are the inside / outside rules different? ---
**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/43 "2012-01-16T01:26:50Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > My girlfriend the editor got into a disagreement with a fellow editor (who is in her 60s and immigrated from Germany as a child and then got American education). This colleague claims that way back when she was in school, she was taught to place punctuation marks outside of quotes, which according to her used to be American-style punctuation. My GF and I are convinced there was no such thing, because Americans have always put punctuation inside the quote marks. Or at least for as long as any of us have been alive. Did it use to be different? Who’s right? I am an American, and I have been taught to put the end quote behind the period or question mark of a sentence. Though, I do have a habit of putting the end quote before the period or question mark of a sentence. I do not think it really matters, if you are consistent with your writing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/44 "2012-01-16T04:36:55Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > It is because the “Rolex” of the example is a _scare quote_ rather than quoted speech? Are the inside / outside rules different? Doesn’t make a difference. Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks in traditional American-style punctuation. (I’ve seen one reference saying that single quotes letters or numbers like “A” or “1” are an exception to this rule, but I am not aware of that. I don’t have a Chicago Manual of Style, but the AP Stylebook says periods _always_ go inside quotation marks. No exceptions are made.) ETA: Or are you asking about the use of a question mark? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/45 "2012-01-16T05:58:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > …but the AP Stylebook says periods _always_ go inside quotation marks. No exceptions are made.) None. Ate the _AP Stylebook_ for breakfast as a kid. Only (implied subject) violate it because I know I am violating it, which is one of its unwritten rules. Other punctuation marks also belong inside the quotation marks. If one is a stickler, but open to updating, this can result in OCD debates that prevent one from ever hitting the “Submit Reply” box. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/46 "2012-01-16T12:47:01Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Nope. Most of the books I’m talking about are from the past five years. Four of them were published last year. > > It really is very odd… I mean, I’m sure you’re not lying, but British books using single quotation marks is a well-known thing, and not an outdated one either, though I wouldn’t be surprised if recent books were more likely to use double quotation marks. The New Hart’s Rules (the Oxford University Press style guide) says: > [@](#): > > Modern British practice is normally to enclose quoted matter between single quotation marks, and to use double quotation marks for a quotation within a quotation But goes on to say: > [@](#): > > The order is often reversed in newspapers, and uniformly in US practice. I translate that as “Do what you like”. (Help! I’m a Brit and I’ve used double quotation marks but put the full stop outside the quotes. Will I be extradited? 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/47 "2012-01-16T16:15:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s perfectly fine to use quotation marks instead of italics for all titles. Particularly if you’re using a font that doesn’t have italics. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259/48 "2012-01-19T23:05:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > ETA: Or are you asking about the use of a question mark? No, just whether a scare quote had different rules; the “Rolex” example looked more scare quote than actual quoted speech, although I suppose it could be either. And thank you for confirming the US usage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-style-punctuation/609259.md?page=2)