# Another danged punctuation question.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588 "2007-02-10T02:13:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588/1 "2007-02-10T02:13:37Z")

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To use a comma after a user name (such as Q.E.D.) should I replace the final period or leave it?  
Q.E.D,  
or  
Q.E.D.,  
Peace,  
mangeorge

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**Author:** ![Spiral\_Stairs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Spiral\_Stairs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiral_Stairs)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588/2 "2007-02-10T02:18:52Z")

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[QUOTE=mangeorge]  
To use a comma after a user name (such as Q.E.D.) should I replace the final period or leave it?  
Q.E.D,  
or  
Q.E.D.,  
Peace,  
mangeorge  
[/QUOTE]

I don’t think there is any situation in which you would replace a period in an acronym with a comma, whether the acronym is a user name or not.

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**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588/3 "2007-02-10T02:21:35Z")

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Unless you want to infer that Q.E.D. is missing his period. 😃

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588/4 "2007-02-10T02:24:31Z")

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Most style manuals I’ve seen state that you should place the comma following the final period of the abbreviation: “Q.E.D., are you crazy?!”

But, if the abbreviation is at the end of a sentence, a second period should not be added: “You’re crazy, Q.E.D.”  
I’m not really crazy. Really.

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-danged-punctuation-question/391588/5 "2007-02-10T02:32:26Z")

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[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]  
Most style manuals I’ve seen state that you should place the comma following the final period of the abbreviation: “Q.E.D., are you crazy?!”

But, if the abbreviation is at the end of a sentence, a second period should not be added: “You’re crazy, Q.E.D.”  
I’m not really crazy. Really.  
[/QUOTE]

Cool. I changed it several times, but finally left it the other way. I like this way better.