The sentence is "He is clever." The word is "clever".

[kohyoongliat]

The sentence is "He is clever."
The word is "clever".

I was taught British English and to punctuate as shown above.

Do Americans punctuate differently with the period inside the quotation for the second sentence?

Thanks.

 

[5jj]

I would put the full stop (period) after the quote in both sentences.

 

[konungursvia]

However, that is generally considered incorrect. All printed books place the period inside the quotes, on both sides of the pond. Informally, i.e. people who type their own English on a typewriter or on a computer, the reverse seems more common, as 5jj seems to indicate.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, I have always been taught/told to put the full stop outside the quotes unless an entire sentence (which would end with a full stop anyway) is enclosed within the quotation marks.

 

[MikeNewYork]

The sentence is "He is clever."
The word is "clever".

I was taught British English and to punctuate as shown above.

Do Americans punctuate differently with the period inside the quotation for the second sentence?

Thanks.

In AmE, most people (I think) would punctuate the sentences as you have. The second does not contain a quote, it contains an highlighted word.

 

[Barb_D]

I must disagree with Mike. American style, no matter how illogical, puts the period inside the quote. Always. Always. It doesn't make sense. But it's the way it is.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I must disagree with Mike. American style, no matter how illogical, puts the period inside the quote. Always. Always. It doesn't make sense. But it's the way it is.

I gave up that "always" years ago. Many others have also. Did you know that the American quotation mark convention was determined by printers? It seems that this was based on the fragility of certain punctuation type pieces. For me I choose logic over preferences that no longer serve a purpose.

 

[Barb_D]

Yes, I did know that, but I also write for a living and it's tedious to have the editor have to correct everything to the standards dictated by style guides if I go by logic instead of what the style requires.

If you're writing to your friend, do what you want. If you're writing for publication in the U.S., save your editor some work and put the punctuation inside the quote mark.

 

[probus]

Yes, I did know that, but I also write for a living and it's tedious to have the editor have to correct everything to the standards dictated by style guides if I go by logic instead of what the style requires.

If you're writing to your friend, do what you want. If you're writing for publication in the U.S., save your editor some work and put the punctuation inside the quote mark.

Exactly. Typographical convention trumps logic every time.

And in my opinion, it is no different in BrE.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes, I did know that, but I also write for a living and it's tedious to have the editor have to correct everything to the standards dictated by style guides if I go by logic instead of what the style requires.

If you're writing to your friend, do what you want. If you're writing for publication in the U.S., save your editor some work and put the punctuation inside the quote mark.

I will write as I write, and leave the editors to sort it out. That's what they do.

 

[konungursvia]

In BrE, I have always been taught/told to put the full stop outside the quotes unless an entire sentence (which would end with a full stop anyway) is enclosed within the quotation marks.

I have several books here printed by George Allen & Unwin, from the UK, and they are all punctuated with the full stop inside the (single) quotes. {edit} I've checked several other British publishers as well, including Penguin, Pan, and Oxford University Press. No periods outside the quotes at all. I think you're remembering the rule about parentheses.

 

[5jj]

I have several books here printed by George Allen & Unwin, from the UK, and they are all punctuated with the full stop inside the (single) quotes. {edit} I've checked several other British publishers as well, including Penguin, Pan, and Oxford University Press. No periods outside the quotes at all. I think you're remembering the rule about parentheses.

Many British publishers do follow that convention, but not all.

The actual situation in the UK is fairly fluid.

 

[emsr2d2]

[h=3]Taken from this website: Quotation Marks

Punctuation inside or outside final quotation mark?[/h]If the quoted words end with a full stop, then the full stop goes inside the quotation marks. If the quoted words do not end with a full stop, then the full stop goes outside the quotation marks:

• He said: "I love you."
• She has read "War and Peace".

Note that in US English, the full stop usually goes inside the quotation marks in all cases:

• He said: "I love you."
• She has read "War and Peace."

However, US English adopts the British style for question marks and exclamation marks:

• He said: "Do you love me?"
• Have you read "War and Peace"?
• Can you imagine? He has never read "War and Peace"!

I am not saying they are the be-all and end-all of instructions at all, and I'm not disputing that you have found many examples of the full stop being put inside the quotation marks, but the advice above matches exactly my understanding (and teaching) of the subject.