Using quotation marks properly can flummox some writers, especially when there's a lot of other punctuation next to the quotation marks. The rules governing the placement of quotation marks around punctuation aren't always logical, but they're pretty well established.
1. When and How to Quote Someone
Quotation marks let a reader know when you're using a speaker's exact words, without paraphrasing, understating, or exaggerating. You can quote a string of sentences of just a single word if you know how.
2. Proper Placement of Periods and Commas
Do you find yourself asking, "Does this comma go inside or outside the quotation marks? How about this period?" Although the rules for using quotations in statements aren't always logical, they are fairly easy to remember. This article goes over the basics.
How to Punctuate Quotations in Statements
3. Questionable Quotes or Questionable Quoting?
Whether the question mark goes inside or outside the quotation marks depends on whether the original quotation is itself a question or whether it's a statement within a question. Confused yet? This article can help you sort it out.
How to Punctuate Quotations with Question Marks
4. Quoting Exclamations and Exclaiming Quotations!
The rules for placing exclamation points (and semicolons) next to quotations are about the same as for question marks. Bring some excitement to your quotations with the guidelines in this article.
Punctuating Quotations with Exclamation Points and Semicolons
5. Quoting What He Said That She Said
Quoting someone who is quoting someone else can be tricky, but not impossible. If you want to quote what he said about what she said he said, you'll need to take a look at these guidelines for proper punctuation placement.