Re: Quotes/Comma question

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

I don't know of any context in which a semicolon goes inside
quotation marks, except perhaps if you're quoting something 
that actually ends with a semicolon.  But as we've been
discussing previously, in this application the best approach
if users are expected to be on a low reading comprehension
level is probably not to use the quotation marks at all and 
put the string on a separate line all by itself.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mary Ellen Schutz" <me -dot- schutz -at- juno -dot- com>
> According to US English conventions, the comma (or semicolon) would be
> inside the quotation mark, but I can foresee a problem when the manual
> reaches the end user.  You are giving them instructions to enter a
> specific string and the sentence punctuation then appears to be part of
> the string. 
> 
> Having written for the Air Force in my day, lead writer on an Air Force 3
> computer contract many, many moons ago, I'd suggest recasting the
> sentence as:
> When the Test Path screen appears, type
> "C:\Applications\testprograms\TS3.exe" and then select NEXT.
> 
> While either a semicolon or a comma could be used, let's face it, "Then,
> select next." can stand on it's own, introducing either and maintaining
> standard US English grammar conventions will introduce confusion and
> cause failures.  The punctuation will, inevitably, be typed by at least
> some users, right along with the rest of the path string.  Bingo! Nothing
> works.

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