# Does the full stop/period go inside or out side of parentheses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621 "2009-03-16T15:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/1 "2009-03-16T15:03:38Z")
I know I should know this, but… does it go (Inside.) or (Outside). ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/2 "2009-03-16T15:08:23Z")
It goes on the outside (at least that’s what I recall). “However,” says my Grade 8 teacher, “the period goes inside quotes.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/3 "2009-03-16T15:16:54Z")
(Unless the entire sentence is inside the parentheses, in which case the period goes inside.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/4 "2009-03-16T15:18:12Z")
Depends on the context. On the outside if the parenthetical expression is only part of the overall sentence (like this). (On the inside if the parenthetical expression is a full sentence on its own.) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/5 "2009-03-16T15:42:16Z")
(This is a full sentence written as a parenthetic comment.) This, on the other hand, is a sentence which includes a parenthetic remark (this is that remark). Clear? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/6 "2009-03-16T16:04:23Z")
> [@Nature\_s\_Call](#): > > “However,” says my Grade 8 teacher, “the period goes inside quotes.” This one’s a matter of style, and tends to depend on your locality - the British usage places a full stop (or comma) inside the quotes only if it is present in that which is being quoted, and outside if not. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/7 "2009-03-16T16:21:00Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > This one’s a matter of style, and tends to depend on your locality - the British usage places a full stop (or comma) inside the quotes only if it is present in that which is being quoted, and outside if not. Exactly! . . . I think. What about “so called” references? Like: She really likes to hang out with her new “friends”. - or - She really likes to hang out with her new “friends.” It makes more sense to me for the period to be outside. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/8 "2009-03-16T20:41:06Z")
> [@Nature\_s\_Call](#): > > “However,” says my Grade 8 teacher, “the period goes inside quotes.” > [@GorillaMan](#): > > This one’s a matter of style, and tends to depend on your locality - the British usage places a full stop (or comma) inside the quotes only if it is present in that which is being quoted, and outside if not. **Nature’s Call** was narrating speech, and their example is correct as written in all English-speaking countries. The national variations that **GorillaMan** refers to only apply to quoting written material. When a quote is tagged with “said” or equivalent, the period (or comma, or exclamation point, or question mark, etc.) always goes to the left of the quotemark. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-full-stop-period-go-inside-or-out-side-of-parentheses/489621/9 "2009-03-16T21:17:50Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Exactly! . . . I think. > > What about “so called” references? Like: > > She really likes to hang out with her new “friends”. > > - or - > She really likes to hang out with her new “friends.” > > It makes more sense to me for the period to be outside. Most of the style guides that I use suggest a single quote mark with punctuation outside. ETAdd an example > [@UN Style Guide](#): > > \*\*Punctuation > > \*\*Single quotation marks > > Single quotation marks should be used to enclose names of documents, themes of > conferences, phrases or specific words, terms, words being defined, radio programmes, > etc. > > Punctuation marks fall outside single quotation marks. > > EXAMPLE: > NPAs also reflect the international community’s growing acceptance of the need > for development to have a ‘human face’.