When sentence ends with quotation mark where is punctuation?

Table of Contents

In the United States, the rule of thumb is that commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks, and colons and semicolons (dashes as well) go outside: “There was a storm last night,” Paul said. Peter, however, didn’t believe him. “I’m not sure that’s exactly what happened.”

How do you punctuate a question mark in a quote?

To sum up the rules on question marks:

If the quoted words are a question, put the question mark inside the quotation marks.
If the entire sentence is a question, put the question mark outside the quotation marks.

Can a sentence end with a question mark and a period?

If your sentence is half-statement, half-question, or a rhetorical question, it is your decision whether to conclude with a period or question mark. Ending these with a period can help show that the speaker is tired: Why don’t you kids knock it off.

Do you put a comma after a quote that ends in a question mark?

In cases when a question mark is used, there is no need to use a comma as well; instead, the attributive tag should come immediately after the closing quotation marks. Consider the example below: “Do you want to come to the movies with us?”, Mary asked. “Do you want to come to the movies with us?” Mary asked.

How do you end a sentence with a quote in a question?

Rule: The question mark (inside the closing quotation mark) ends the sentence; no period. She kept asking, “Why me?” The question mark (inside the closing quotation mark) ends the sentence; no additional question mark. Did you just ask, “Why me?”

What does a question mark mean at the end of a sentence?

direct question
A question mark (?) is placed at the end of a sentence which is a direct question.

How should a statement ending in a question be punctuated?

Yes; using a question-mark like a comma pause, or a semi-colon pause and following it with lower case makes sense. But some programs auto correct to Upper Case.

How do you end a sentence with a quoted question?

Double Punctuation with Quotations If a statement ends in a quoted question, allow the question mark within the quotation marks suffice to end the sentence.

Can you end a sentence with a quote?

Ending a Sentence With a Quote Simply put, punctuation, like question marks and periods, that comes before the beginning of the quote goes outside of the quotation marks, and any punctuation that comes at the end of the quote stays inside the marks.