# another punctuation question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-punctuation-question/437101 "2008-02-11T00:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-punctuation-question/437101/1 "2008-02-11T00:35:56Z")
In the following sentence: In Ray Bradbury’s “I Sing the Body Electric!” the scene in which . . . . should there be a comma after the title of the short story? Or does the fact that the title ends with a punctuation mark negate the need for that? Same question for: Bradbury, Ray. “I Sing the Body Electric!” Ferguson, Mary Anne, ed. _Images of Women in Literature_. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Should there be a period after the title or no? MLA has nothing on this; or at least, nothing I can find. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-punctuation-question/437101/2 "2008-02-11T01:56:03Z")
1. I’d strongly advise re-wording the sentence to avoid beginning it that way. Even just saying “The scene in Ray Bradbury’s … in which” would be an improvement. 2. I think the _!_ takes care of it. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-punctuation-question/437101/3 "2008-02-11T02:16:14Z")
I personally would be inclined to use the “standard delimiter” punctuation mark – comma or period, as appropriate, in a bibliographic citation of a work whose title ends with another punctuation mark – and, contrary to general American usage, if referent is to a non-standalone work like the above, the punctuation goes _outside_ the quotation marks setting off the title. Within text, the comma is discretionary (and the period not needed), but should be used whenever clarity suggests its value. However, as always the rulle should be: follow the style guide your editor/publisher prefers. Nitpicky question: I don’t know MLA style standards, but shouldn’t the cite be: Bradbury, Ray. “I Sing the Body Electric!” _ **in** _ Ferguson, Mary Anne, ed. Images of Women in Literature. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-punctuation-question/437101/4 "2008-02-11T02:39:51Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] I personally would be inclined to use the “standard delimiter” punctuation mark – comma or period, as appropriate, in a bibliographic citation of a work whose title ends with another punctuation mark – and, contrary to general American usage, if referent is to a non-standalone work like the above, the punctuation goes _outside_ the quotation marks setting off the title. [/quote] Not in MLA, it doesn’t. > [@Polycarp](#): > > Nitpicky question: I don’t know MLA style standards, but shouldn’t the cite be: > > Bradbury, Ray. “I Sing the Body Electric!” _ **in** _ Ferguson, Mary Anne, ed. Images of Women in Literature. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Actually, I did do it incorrectly - I haven’t written a paper in so long. It should be: Bradbury, Ray. “I Sing the Body Electric!” _Images of Women in Literature_. 5th ed. Ed. Mary Anne Ferguson. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. 98-125. I suppose I should have specified MLA in my OP. :smack: Sorry about that.