Do commas, periods, colons, semi-colons, exclamation points and question marks go before or after quotation marks?
There are many different ways to use quotation marks and, in this tutorial, we’ll look at sentence punctuation in relationship to quotations. In other words, does the comma, period, question mark or exclamation point come before or after the quotation marks?
Rule for commas and periods
With commas and periods, the quotation marks go after the comma or period:
“I love you,” said Mary.
John replied, “I would follow you to the moon.”
Rule for semi-colons and colons
If you’re using a semicolon or colon, you place the quotation marks before the semicolon or colon:
I asked you the “question of the year”: do you love me?
Malcolm was “fit to be tied”; he had just missed the last bus home.
Where to put question marks and exclamation points
With a question or exclamatory sentence, place the quotation marks after the the question mark or exclamation point:
“Do you love me?” asked Mary.
“You do love me!” Mary gushed.
Exception
However… if you’re using a question mark or an exclamation point around a specific word, rather than enclosing a sentence, the quotation marks go before.
A common word usage question is when to use “lie” versus “lay.” Here’s a quick tutorial with the meanings and rules for lie and lay.
Lie:
One usage of the verb “lie” means “to recline”
I am going to lie down on the sofa for awhile.
Watch the lion lie down on the grass.
However… the past tense of “lie” is “lay”
I only lay in bed for half an hour.
The lion lay there until he got hungry.
And… the past participle is “lain”
I have lain in bed longer than I should have.
Had the lion lain there all day, he would have missed supper.
Lay:
A common usage of the verb “lay” means “to put or set down”
I am planning to lay my purse on that table.
Past tense is “laid”
I laid my purse on that table just ten minutes ago.
Past participle is also “laid”
I have laid my purse on that table every day for a month.
Of course “lie” also means to fib, but that’s not the one we confuse with “lay.” And we could “lay a bet” or “lay a plan” or “lay the table for dinner,” but these are not confused with “lie.”
Bottom line:
You don’t “lay down” in bed, nor would you have “laid in bed for a nap.”
You LIE down but you LAY something else down, when speaking in the present tense, which is where most of the mistakes come from with the lie-lay situation.
When to Use “Loan” versus “Lend”
Loan and lend are misused so frequently – even in print and TV advertising – that it’s no wonder so many of us get the word usages mixed up. Loan is a noun; lend is a verb. That’s the bottom line.
Loan is a noun:
I asked the bank for a loan.
Lend is a verb:
Will you lend me some money?
Incorrect: The bank will loan me $100,000 to buy a house.
Correct: The bank will lend me $100,000 – or – The loan from the bank is for $100,000.
Incorrect: I loaned her my best sweater.
Correct: I lent her my best sweater.
When I’m in doubt about a correct word usage, I look in my The Chicago Manual of Style. It’s got everything.
When to Use “Affect” versus “Effect”
When to use affect vs. effect is confusing – for good reason. Since the 1400s, these words have been more or less interchangeable, with meanings passing back and forth between them. Here’s today’s accepted word usage.
Affect
“Affect” is mostly used a verb that means “to influence” or “to change.”
The state of the economy can affect a person’s buying habits.
In many circles, your clothing affects how you are perceived.
However… “affect” as a noun describes a feeling or emotion and is a term used most often in psychology.
Effect
“Effect” is most often used a noun meaning “result.”
The effect of his naval training was a well-run ship.
Every cause has an effect.
However… “effect” is sometimes used as a verb meaning “to accomplish” or “to bring about.”
They hope to effect a settlement of the dispute before the weekend.
He effected a studious demeanor, thinking it would impress his teachers.
Here’s a quickie tutorial for one of the most common spelling mistakes: knowing the spelling rule for “your” versus “you’re.”
Your is the second person singular adjective that relates to something “you” possess:
Your clothes. Your car. Your outlook on life.
You’re is a contraction for “you are.”
You’re going to be impressed. You’re on the right road. You’re going to love this post.
The apostrophe essentially takes the place of the letter “a” here.
Spelling Rule for “Its” versus “It’s”
Are you unsure when to use an apostrophe for the word “it’s?” Here’s the spelling rule for its versus it’s. This spelling mistake is so common now, it has everyone second-guessing which one is correct.
“Its” without an apostrophe – is a possessive, third person, singular adjective that typically relates to something other than a person. The noun it refers to was probably mentioned just previously (in this sentence, “it” refers to the noun “noun”), so you know what “it” is.
“Its” refers to something “it” possesses:
The dog was so agitated, its barks were deafening.
I picked a daffodil and its color reminded me of sunshine.
“It’s” with an apostrophe – is an abbreviation for (1) it is or (2) it has:
It’s a foregone conclusion. It’s raining.
It’s been proven long ago. Look at the daffodil; it’s gone to seed.
The main rule to remember here is – the apostrophe takes the place of missing letters and represents a shortened version of a pronoun and a verb: “it is” or “it has.”
No apostrophe means ownership of some kind -– and no missing letters.
Spelling Rule for “Their”, “There”, and “They’re”
Many people get confused by the three different spellings for these three words that sound exactly the same: their, there, and they’re. Here are the rules.
“Their” is a possessive, third person, plural adjective relating to “something belonging to them” – as in: their house, their political party, their stupid rules of grammar – and the entities involved have been named earlier, so it’s implied that you know who or what “they” are. What is being pointed out now is the house, party or rules “owned” by “them.” You can just as easily be talking about daffodils, with “their” flowers shimmering in the sun.
“There” has a few meanings. It can mean a physical place: over there, go there – or it can mean a virtual place: stop right there before you say something you’ll regret.
Sometimes “there” is used to express satisfaction, sympathy or even defiance:
There, it’s finished!
There, there, you’ll soon feel better.
There! You do it!
And “there” is frequently used to introduce a sentence or clause: “There comes a time…”
“Hi there” and “you, there” are sometimes used when we don’t remember someone’s name right away.
And let’s not forget They’re:
To confuse the issue even more, there’s a third usage that sounds the same but is spelled differently – “they’re.” Here the apostrophe indicates a missing letter. “They’re” is an abbreviation for “they are” – as in “they’re coming” or “they’re not so big.”
Spelling Rule for “Whose” and “Who’s”
Do you sometimes choose the wrong spelling for these two words that sound the same: “whose” and “who’s?” Here are the spelling rules to remember:
“Whose” is an adjective that essentially asks a question about the ownership of something:
> Whose shoes are they? > Whose science project won? > I don’t know whose idea that was.
Who’s is simply an abbreviation for “who is” or “who has.” The apostrophe indicates missing letters.
For example, “Who’s coming with me?” or “Who’s the man?”
“Who’s” – as in “Who’s got the tickets” is a contraction for “who has.” We could have said, “Who has the tickets,” but we just as often say, “Who’s got…” (which is short for “who has got”).
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