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Old 10-02-2011, 10:45 AM   #56
HarryT
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Quote:
Originally Posted by taming View Post
That was also true in the US when I went to university. Nice article here that explains how this is handled now in North America (you may be surprised). The link is to the writing centre at the University of Ottawa.
Yes, the main difference is where commas and full stops (periods) go. In British usage, they're normally placed outside the quote; in American usage, inside.

This is what Wiki has to say on the matter:

Quote:
With regard to quotation marks adjacent to periods and commas, there are two styles of punctuation in widespread use. While these two styles are most commonly referred to as American and British (and some style sheets provide no other name), some American writers and organizations use the British style and vice versa. Both systems have the same rules regarding question marks, exclamation points, colons and semicolons. They differ on the treatment of periods and commas.

In the U.S., the standard style is called American style, typesetters’ rules, printers’ rules, typographical usage, or traditional punctuation, whereby commas and periods are almost always placed inside closing quotation marks.[10] This style of punctuation is common in the U.S. and Canada, and is mandated by the Chicago Manual of Style and other American style guides. The other standard style—called British style or logical punctuation[11]—is to include within quotation marks only those punctuation marks that appeared in the quoted material, but otherwise to place punctuation outside the closing quotation marks.[12] Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage provides a good example of the British-style rule: "All signs of punctuation used with words in quotation marks must be placed according to the sense."[13]

Examples

When dealing with words-as-words, short-form works and sentence fragments, the styles differ:

“Carefree,” in general, means “free from care or anxiety.” (American practice)
“Carefree”, in general, means “free from care or anxiety”. (British practice)

When dealing with direct speech, American rules place periods and commas inside the quotation marks all the time, but the alternative usage varies. In fiction, both styles are the same.[14] In non-fiction, British publishers may permit placing punctuation that is not part of the person’s speech inside the quotation marks but prefer that it be placed outside.[14] According to the Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders, periods and commas that are part of the person’s speech are permitted inside the quotation marks regardless.[14]

“Today,” said Cinderella, “I feel free from care and anxiety.” (both major styles)
“Today”, said former Prime Minister Tony Blair, “I feel free from care and anxiety.” (British non-fiction only)
“I feel happy,” said Björk, “carefree, and well.” (both major styles)
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