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Parentheses and
Quotation Marks
It’s
funny; no matter how many times I write about commas, there’s still confusion
about their use. And because I’ve received several questions about using them
with quotation marks and parentheses, I’m making them the February topic.
Here
are the basic American grammar rules for using commas (and other marks) with
quotation marks:
Commas and periods always go inside / in front of / before the final quotation
mark, even if you’re only quoting the last word. Yes, it looks odd. Yes, it’s
right. And they go inside singles, which always go inside doubles.
Carly called him a “geek.”
Carly said, “He’s a ‘geek.’”
Colons and semicolons always go outside / behind / after the final quotation
mark.
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These are my “comfort foods”: ice cream
and mashed potatoes. |
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I think with my “gut”; Kit uses her
head. |
Question marks and exclamation points can go in either place, depending on how
the quoted material was said. If it was said with special emphasis, these marks
go before the final quotation mark; if not, they go after.
She’s always “crying wolf”!
“You won!” cried Dana.
Did Fran yell “foul”?
Fran yelled “foul?”
Now
here are a few rules about using parentheses, which enclose nonessential
information, with other punctuation marks.
If
the item in parentheses falls within a sentence, any punctuation (a comma, a
colon, a semicolon, a dash) that comes after the item falls outside the
parentheses.
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I need your information by the end of the
week (Friday, May 3), or I will have to cancel the booking. |
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I e-mailed Chris on Thursday (at noon, I
think); however, I haven’t heard back from her yet.
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Use a
period within parentheses only with an abbreviation, unless the parentheses
enclose a separate sentence at the end of the
first one.
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YES: Will you stay with us (we’re close
to the airport) when you visit? |
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YES: Will you stay with us when you
visit (we’re close to the airport)? |
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YES: Will you stay with us when you
visit? (We’re close to the airport.) |
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NO:
Will you stay with us (We’re close to the airport.) when you visit? |
YES: We’re open late (until 8 p.m.) only on Fridays. |
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YES: We’re open late only on Fridays
(until 8 p.m.). |
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NO:
We’re open late only on Fridays (until 8.). |
A
question mark or exclamation point within parentheses must apply
solely to the parenthetical material,
not to the sentence itself, and we don’t duplicate them.
YES: My house is on Smith Street (weren’t you here once?).
YES: Is her house on Smith Street (weren’t you there once)?
NO: Is
her house on Smith Street (weren’t you there once?)?
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