punctuation - Placement of comma before quotation mark


What is the rule for comma placement before a quotation mark? When should the comma go before and when should it go after the quotation mark?



Answer



In American literature and university courses, the method for introducing a quotation is the same as the British English style: the comma is placed after the last word that introduces the quotation.



Martin said, “Who brought that dog?”



As for the closing quotation mark, American English prefers the comma to be placed before the ending quotation mark.



In her notebook, Sheila wrote that the sun was “beet-red,” but after the game she had seen it “disappear over the bleachers.”



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