0
Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Can a comma ever proceed ending quotation mark?

0 Question for a grammar guru. In this sentence, can the comma proceed the quote mark? 02br
02br
00Jimmy's got bad "morning breath", because he didn't brush his teeth before bed. 02br
02br
00If that's not correct, is there ever an instance when the comma can proceed the quote mark? 0-
  

Top answer

0 According to 01i 00Webster's Third New International Dictionary02i 00: 02br 02br 00"In American usage printers usually place a period or comma inside closing quotation marks whether it belongs logically to the quoted matter or to the whole sentence or context.... 02b 02br 02br 00Here is an instance when the commas and the period should be outside of the quotation marks: 02br 02br 01b 00In first-order theories in which equality is definable, we can define a special type of existential quantifier "(E! 01i 00x02i 00)A", which means intuitively "there is one and only one 01i 00x02i 00 such that A", or simply "there is a unique 01i 00x02i 00 such that A".

— Rvw

  • 0 According to 01i 00Webster's Third New International Dictionary02i 00: 02br 02br 00"In American usage printers usually place a period or comma inside closing quotation marks whether it belongs logically to the quoted matter or to the whole sentence or context....
  • 02b 02br 02br 00Here is an instance when the commas and the period should be outside of the quotation marks: 02br 02br 01b 00In first-order theories in which equality is definable, we can define a special type of existential quantifier "(E!
  • 01i 00x02i 00)A", which means intuitively "there is one and only one 01i 00x02i 00 such that A", or simply "there is a unique 01i 00x02i 00 such that A".
  • 02b 00 ---01i 00The Logical Foundations of Mathematics02i 00, by William S.
  • Hatcher 0-
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
0 According to 01i00Webster's Third New International Dictionary02i00: 02br
02br
00"In American usage printers usually place a period or comma inside closing quotation marks whether it belongs logically to the quoted matter or to the whole sentence or context.... But when a logical or exact distinction is desired in specialized work in which clarity is
0
0
0 I agree with rvw as far as American usage. I think it's different in Britain. 0-
0
0
0 Yes, usually in BrE you would put the comma after the inverted commas: 02br
02br
001. Jimmy's got bad "morning breath", because he didn't brush his teeth before going to bed. 02br
02br
00Though I probably wouldn't use a comma there anyway. (I'm also doubtful as to whether brushing your teeth before going to bed prevents 'morning breath'.) 02br

0
0
0 Also, 02br
02br
00The question is not whether the comma "proceeds", but whether it "precedes"... 02br
02br
00Or should I have punctuated it: The question is not whether the comma "proceeds," but whether it "precedes"... 0-
0
0
0 This is an unfortunate example because we don't normally use a comma before a "because clause", i.e., when it 01i00precedes02i00 a "because clause". Supposing a comma were needed there, it would always go outside of the scare quotes, in my opinion. Quoted speech is another case. "Americans handle it like this," he said. "Even if they have 'morning breath'," she adde
0

Related Questions