Punctuation Pet Peeves

I had a nice but uneventful day, so here's another little lesson for my 200 readers. Yes, there are 200 of you! Scary! I dedicate this post to tater, Jessica, Claire, and Kate -- four people who know these rules already. Mwah!

(1) Periods and commas always belong inside quotation marks.

WRONG: The definition of "negligent" is "failing to exercise the care expected of a reasonably prudent person in like circumstances".

CORRECT: The definition of "meticulous" is "marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details."

(2) Question marks and exclamation points can be inside or outside quotation marks, depending on the logic of the question or exclamation.

EXAMPLE 1: I looked at her incredulously and asked, "Are you an idiot?"

EXAMPLE 2: What is the meaning of the phrase "stupid is as stupid does"?

EXAMPLE 3: She screamed, "Yes! I am an idiot!"

EXAMPLE 4: She really loves Britney Spears' "Gimme More"!

(3) Colons and semi-colons belong outside quotation marks.

EXAMPLE 1: I think she is a "C U Next Tuesday"; my friends agree.

EXAMPLE 2: Here is the key to "grammatical success": follow these rules.

(4) When quoting materials with errors, insert the word "sic" in brackets after the error. Sic is Latin for "so" or "thus," and inserting it after an error in a direct quote informs your reader that the error is not your own and is simply a reprinting of the original material.

EXAMPLE: Kim e-mailed me to tell me that she loves "mixing orange juice and champaigne [sic] to make mermosas [sic]."

xoxo,
Grammar Nazi