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I'll have to come up with some examples to show you my question:

I know if a sentence is inside either, the punctuation is inside (I also know I use a lot of comma splices. I think of the way the sentences sound in my head and break them up that way.).

I'm stumped.

Would when I say, "break them up that way.)." be correct?

Or if I say, "break them up that way.).", be correct?

Or if I say, "break them up that way.).," be correct?

I'm also using the entire sentence as an example, so please take that into consideration. For the paraphrased items at the end of a sentence should it also just be separated into a completely new sentence?

Like: "I know if a sentence is inside either, the punctuation is inside. (I also know I use a lot of comma splices. I think of the way the sentences sound in my head and break them up that way.)"

I'd also like to know the British vs English(American) rules on this.

thehwood
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    I’m having a hard time understanding your exact question. – tchrist Apr 05 '13 at 16:03
  • I too am struggling with the specifics of the question. I would consult a style guide, though, for rules about punctuation in and around parentheses and quotations. The Purdue Owl may be a good resource for AmE. – tylerharms Apr 05 '13 at 16:27
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    Possible duplicates: http://english.stackexchange.com/q/2119 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/61579 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/13528 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/78173 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/6632 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/7548 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/90198 – tchrist Apr 05 '13 at 17:52
  • Looks like a duplicate to me as well, though the wording and formatting of the question are unnecessarily cryptic. Do check out all the questions tchrist has posted, and the related questions linked from there. To sum it up right here, out of your five examples (if these really are examples), only the last one looks fine. The rest range from funny stuff to horrible nonsense, and I am quite surprised you don't recognize them as such. For example, I'm not sure where you even get the idea from that '.).", ' is a valid sequence of characters, in any language, under any circumstances ever. – RegDwigнt Apr 07 '13 at 12:03

2 Answers2

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This response will be strictly with respect to American rules, as I am only familiar with them (though I do understand Brits do this differently).

The rule you want in the Chicago Manual of Style is 6.111 in the current edition (16th), which directs you to all the relevant rules with respect to "quotation marks relative to other punctuation and text."

I'll summarize.

You never want to have a period both inside and outside the closing parenthesis. (By the way, in the subject of your post, you should say "parentheses," which is the plural, not "parenthesis," which is singular.) If your parenthetical expression is a full sentence (as my previous sentence is), put the period inside. If it is not (as in my first paragraph) the period goes outside.

With question marks and exclamation points, the rule has to do with what is being asked or exclaimed. If the quotation is the exclamation, the exclamation mark goes inside. If the sentence into which the quotation is inserted is the exclamation, the mark goes outside. Same with question marks.

Admittedly this can get complicated in certain circumstances, which is why Chicago has quite a lengthy discussion of this issue.

In the example you've given us:

I know if a sentence is inside either, the punctuation is inside (I also know I use a lot of comma splices. I think of the way the sentences sound in my head and break them up that way.).

You've actually got a full sentence preceding your parenthetical expression. I would do this:

I know that if a sentence is inside either parentheses or quotation marks, other punctuation goes inside them as well. (I also know I use a lot of comma splices. I think of the way the sentences sound in my head and break them up that way.)

It's also not immediately clear what "either" refers to as you originally wrote your sentence, so you should insert your nouns.

Dave
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British vs. American rules: Brits prefer their punctuation outside the quotation marks, except when transcribing conversation. For this reason I became distracted while reading the otherwise entertaining and useful book [Please pretend this title is in italics.] Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. And speaking of distractions, what about simply recasting your sentence?

Claudia G. Stucke
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