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Darren Butler asked:> Please help settle a debate. Is it correct to follow quotation marks
> with either a comma or a semi colon?
>
> example:
>
> When the Test Path screen appears, type "C:\Applications\test
> programs\TS3.exe", then select NEXT.
This isn't the question you asked, but I think the best answer to
you is to use some other form of typographic convention (most
people use a different typeface, like Courier) to distinguish
keyboard input. Using quotes either leaves it ambiguous whether
the user needs to type the quotes themselves or forces you to
always state "without the quotation marks".
The general issue of the "correct" order for punctuation around
quotations is one of the thorniest questions and is another one
where the conventions are different on either side of the Atlantic.
And the whole issue gets even murkier when you're not talking
about enclosing actual quotations (utterances by people)
within the quote marks, as in the example you cite. Don't
abuse the poor quote marks; use a different convention for
emphasis. Unlike the old days of typewriters, we all have *lots*
of alternatives readily at hand.
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