Which statement is correct about punctuation with quotation marks in American English?

Which statement is correct about punctuation with quotation marks in American English?

• A. Punctuation is always placed outside the closing quotation marks.
• B. A comma should be placed outside the closing quotation marks to introduce dialogue.
• C. In American English, place punctuation inside the closing quotation marks; use a comma to introduce dialogue.
• D. Quotation marks are not used for dialogue.

Answer: (C)

In American English, punctuation that belongs to the spoken words goes inside the closing quotation marks. When you introduce dialogue with a tag (like he said), you place a comma after the tag and before the opening quotation marks, as in He said, "I'll be late." If the dialogue comes first and you attach the tag after the quote, the comma goes inside the closing quotation marks after the spoken words, as in "I'll be late," he said. This combination—punctuation inside quotes when it belongs to the quote, and using a comma to introduce dialogue when the tag comes before the quote—is why this statement is correct.

In American English, punctuation that belongs to the spoken words goes inside the closing quotation marks. When you introduce dialogue with a tag (like he said), you place a comma after the tag and before the opening quotation marks, as in He said, "I'll be late." If the dialogue comes first and you attach the tag after the quote, the comma goes inside the closing quotation marks after the spoken words, as in "I'll be late," he said. This combination—punctuation inside quotes when it belongs to the quote, and using a comma to introduce dialogue when the tag comes before the quote—is why this statement is correct.