Does Punctuation Go Inside or Outside of Quotation Marks?

As if the differences between UK and US English spelling weren’t tricky enough, several other variations between the two dialects also exist, such as how quotations are written. In addition, the guidelines that dictate whether the punctuation goes inside or outside of quotation marks depend on the dialect you’re writing or proofreading in. 

While neither version of English is more correct than the other, it’s important to follow the specific conventions of the dialect you’re working with. And if it sounds complicated, it’s not! The differences are relatively straightforward once you get the hang of them. Want to learn more? Keep reading for information on how to punctuate quotations in UK and US English. 

Quotation Marks and US English

US English typically uses double quotation marks for quotes and dialogue. For example:

The boat was considered a “high-speed” ferry.

The ballerina said, “I don’t want to dance today.” 

For quotes within a quote, US English uses double quotation marks for the outside quote and single marks for the inside one. Check out this example:

Porter (1999) writes that the “scientists yelled ‘Eureka!’ frequently” in the early days of the project.

Now, let’s look at how these same examples are written when we use UK English conventions.

Quotation Marks and UK English

While US English dictates that writers use double quotation marks for quotations, UK English specifies the use of single quotations. For example:

The boat was considered a ‘high-speed’ ferry.

The ballerina said, ‘I don’t want to dance today.’ 

For quotes within a quote, UK English conventions are the reverse of US English ones. We use single quotation marks for the main quote and double quotation marks for the inside quote. For instance:

Porter (1999) writes that the ‘scientists yelled “Eureka!” frequently’ in the early days of the project.

How to Punctuate Quotations in US and UK English

The style of quotation marks is not the only difference between UK and US English. US English rules specify that punctuation (such as periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points) go within quotation marks. In UK English, we place punctuation within quotation marks only if it’s part of the original text being quoted. For example:

US English	UK English
“That was the best night of my life!” she exclaimed.	‘That was the best night of my life!’ she exclaimed.
Did you really just tell me to “keep the change?”	Did you really just tell me to ‘keep the change’?
Don’t tell me you want to go to this “party.”	Don’t tell me you want to go to this ‘party’.
She claimed that she “worked there for a year,” but no one has been able to prove it.	She claimed that she ‘worked there for a year’, but no one has been able to prove it.

If a quotation is split, the comma goes inside the quotation marks in both dialects.

For example:

US English	UK English
“If I were to describe you,” the man said as he chewed, “I’d say you were a coward.”	‘If I were to describe you,’ the man said as he chewed, ‘I’d say you were a coward.’

You can find more tips on how to proofread quotations here.

Becoming A Proofreader

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