Quotation Marks with Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes

These always go outside quotation marks. Here are some examples:

  • Bob snorted and said, “I don’t believe in zombies”―right before thirty of them emerged from the tunnel.
  • Her favorite song was “Gangnam Style”; she spent weeks trying to learn the dance.
  • She sang her favorite line from “I Don’t Wanna Stop”: “You’re either in or in the way.”

Quotation Marks with Question Marks and Exclamation Points

If the question mark or exclamation point is part of your quotation, it stays inside.

  • Reynold asked, “Can we have ice cream for dinner?”
  • Mom snapped and shouted, “No, we cannot have ice cream for dinner!”

If the question mark or exclamation point is not part of the quotation, they go outside the closing quotation mark.

  • Do you actually like “Gangnam Style”?
  • I can’t believe you lied to me about the ending of “The Sixth Sense”!
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Quotation Marks with Commas and Periods

Inside the US, inside the quotation marks. Here are some examples:

  • “Don’t underestimate me,” she said with a disarmingly friendly smile.

 

H/T quickanddirtytips.com