Place Your Commas Inside the Quotes

Yes, you've worked in the perfect dialogue for your characters - well-versed lines packed with intensity.  But then, on the side, you have these pesky little words outside the dialogue which still need quotation marks.  Where, then, does the comma go?  Inside?  Outside?  Dropped completely?

I, too, have wondered this.  And now there's a website to answer this question for us.  Basically, if you're an American, the punctuation goes inside the quotes except in extremely rare cases.  For anyone British, however, punctuation often goes outside the quotes.

For a thorough discussion of this, visit Tim Blue's "Quotation Marks: Where do the Commas and Periods Go - And Why?"

Punctuation: the Zero Tolerance Approach with Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Do not underestimate the importance of punctuation in writing.  As Truss points out in this handy book, slight changes in punctuation can seriously affect the meaning of a sentence: A woman: without her, man is nothing. A woman without her man is nothing. Note, however, that this book strictly follows British conventions for punctuation.  Although still very helpful, Americans will find a few differences between standard American usage and standard British usage.  Overall, though, the examples are entertaining, helpful, and memorable.