Period Placement with Closing Quotation Marks
The Period
Rulebase Summary
When a sentence ends with a quotation enclosed in double quotation marks, place the period inside the closing quotation mark. This is the standard American English convention.
Morson's Rule 7 · p.5 BGGP Quotes.21 · p.119 Morson's Rule 107 · p.63
Examples
✗
A. He looked at me and said "I'm done talking".
✓
A. He looked at me and said "I'm done talking."
Period goes inside closing quotation marks (American).
✗
A. The label on the bottle read "for external use only".
✓
A. The label on the bottle read "for external use only."
Always place the period inside the closing quotes.
Style Guide References (3)
Morson's
Rule 7
Page 5
BGGP
Quotes.21
Page 119
Morson's
Rule 107
Page 63
See also (6)
Related Semicolon Always Goes Outside Quotation Marks Related Colon Always Goes Outside Quotation Marks Related Question Mark Placement with Quotation Marks Related Apostrophe for Singular Possessive Compare Sentence Continues After the Quoted Material See Period Placement with Single Quotation Marks Inside Double