The Period's Relationship with the Quotation Mark
It shouldn't be toxic, my friends.
A lot of the time, I will copyedit work where the quotation mark and the period are having a toxic relationship. They don’t understand how they are supposed to interact with each other.
Part of this is because we writers are mixing the British style and American style when we’re using the quotation mark and period together. Those of us who read a lot of British work (or Australian work) can start to think that their style is the right way in the U.S., too.
BRITISH STYLE
Periods go outside the quotation mark if it isn’t a complete sentence.
She loves the phrase ‘hamster zombie’.
Periods to inside the quotation mark if it it a complete sentence.
She said, ‘I love the phrase hamster zombie.’
AMERICAN STYLE
It’s always on the inside.
She loves the phrase “hamster zombie.”
She said, “I love the phrase hamster zombie.”
SPECIAL NOTE ON AMERICAN STYLE GUIDES
In the United States there are different style guides that determine the stylistic choices that are made in novels, newspapers, military writing, research papers. Novels are governed by the Chicago Manual of Style. Newspapers are by AP Stylebook.
It does not matter which style guide you are choosing among these: Chicago Manual of Style, AP Stylebook, APA Publication Manual, and MLA Handbook. Each says to put the periods inside the quotation marks if they end the sentence or not. The style guide of the Canadian Government says the same.
Here is a lovely image by Editors Manual for those of us who are more visual:
SPECIAL NOTES ON TO DOUBLE QUOTE OR TO SINGLE QUOTE
News in the U.K. is switching over to double quotes. Traditionally, everything in the U.K. was single quotes. Now, some novels are also switching to double quotes. It depends on the publishing house.
Single vs. double quotation marks:
U.S. style likes those double quotes. We’re extra like that, right? (“ ”)
British style guides are into the single quote mostly (‘ ’) in British, (except British news copy, which also prefers double quotes mostly) and now some novels.