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Subject:Re: Colons and Quotations in Tech Manuals From:"Yvette Kirby Waters" <yvetteki -at- noa -dot- nintendo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 08 Jun 2001 16:21:18 -0700
This is the rule I learned also, but I have found that there are cases when putting a period or a comma inside the quotation marks will cause more confusion than not. In my type of work at least, sometimes the last word in the quotation marks is part of an API, or a directory path, or some other code source where a period, comma, or other punctuation could actually change the code. In those cases I've found that it's better to just cringe and put the period or comma after the closing quote. Even though it looks awful, clarity is preserved. ;-)
Just my .02,
--Yvette
--Yvette Kirby Waters
Technical Writer
Nintendo Technology Development, Inc.
vox: (425) 861-2968
fax: (425) 861-2976
>>> Jacque Foreman <foremangraphics -at- juno -dot- com> 06/08/01 03:32PM >>>
Periods and commas are always put inside quotation marks no matter what
the grammatical or logical sense. Question marks, colons and semicolons
(tall punctuation marks) "may" be put on either side of the quotation
marks, depending on the sense of what is written.
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