I vaguely recall something about commas, question marks, etc.
When the quoted matter ends with a semicolon, the semicolon in the quotation is dropped: The agency reviewed those petitions that were "timely"; it ignored those that were late. And although you aren’t likely to use quotation marks with semicolons, in case you want to impress your grammar teacher, the rules are included here. Is the colon, semicolon, parenthesis, exclamation point, or question mark a part of the direct quote? Use a comma to introduce a quotation after a standard dialogue tag, a brief introductory phrase, or a dependent clause. Quotations Marks with Other Punctuation.
followed by a subtitle). When multiple quotation marks are used for quotations within quotations, keep the quotation marks together (put periods and commas inside both; put semi-colons… If the entire sentence is an exclamation, but the quoted words aren’t, put the exclamation point outside the quotation marks. What are the rules for punctuation when using quotation marks?
Always place periods and commas inside the closing quotation mark, including any nested ones. The semicolon is being encased within quotation marks that does not pertain to them. The detective said, "I am sure who performed the murder."
This is a case in which the accepted British and American English authorities appear to offer conflicting advice (but see final paragraph). But no semicolon is needed for a title in English that ends with a question mark or exclamation point: ... For the following, does the period go inside the quotation marks or outside?
Thus, in the following sentence, the comma is placed after taught: “You’ve got to be carefully taught,” wrote Oscar Hammerstein II. Place periods and commas within closing single or double quotation marks. But no semicolon is needed for a title in English that ends with a question mark or exclamation point: ... I’m wondering what to do when a question inside quotation marks is the first half of a title (i.e. Semicolon Comes Outside.
She smiled, “You’ll want to read this GateHouse Newsroom post about how to properly use quotation marks in AP style stories then.” The AP Stylebook has a few simple rules for using quotation marks in AP style stories. The rules differ depending on whether you’re writing for an American audience or for a British/international audience. Thus, in the following sentence, the comma is placed after taught: “You’ve got to be carefully taught,” wrote Oscar Hammerstein II.
Quotation marks and other punctuation marks.
For instance, in America, the punctuation typically goes inside the quotation marks.
If that’s the case, you should leave it as part of the quotation, placing it inside the quotation marks…
But there are many exceptions.)
Example: Bobbi told me, “Delia said, ‘This will never work.’ ” Notice that what Delia said was enclosed in single quotation marks.
Sentence-ending punctuation is a whole different story.
QUOTATION MARKS Several rules are involves with the use of quotation marks, especially in regards to punctuation. Though not necessarily logical, the American rules for multiple punctuation with quotation marks are firmly established. (In British usage, the period and the comma go outside the quotation mark.)
The semicolon should be placed outside ending quotation marks.