Sep 3, 2018 · 1 min read
The period goes inside the quotation mark, except when you are writing for the British press, then it goes outside the quotation mark. I won’t even discuss this with anyone who wants to reason it out; they are just plain wrong.
Writing is a craft, just like carpentry. If you don’t know a jack stud from a king stud while framing door opening, you really shouldn’t be framing even if you can reason out in your own mind why it doesn’t matter which goes out and which goes in. If you don’t know, you’re wrong!
I had an English professor in college for whom I am grateful on this point. “We don’t live in England. The punctuation goes inside the quote.” !?.; doesn’t matter. Always inside. Always.
Except in England. Then they go out.
