Writing Gooder

The Brits and Yanks don’t just differ on the spelling of certain words, but also on whether or not to place punctuation inside or outside of quotation marks. Take the following example:

• The sign read, “Yield to Kangaroos.” (American Style) OR
• The sign read, “Yield to Kangaroos”. (British Style)

The British Style is also called the Logical Style.  Since the period isn’t part of the quoted material, it doesn’t make sense to place the period inside the quoted material.  On the other hand, the American Style is the archaic British Style, which arose from printing press necessities.  Due to the way a printing press works, the period and the comma are the most fragile elements and easily broken.  Placing a period after the quotation mark and directly before a space increased the likelihood of it breaking.  However, placing the period inside the quotation mark kept it safe and snug.  Nowadays though, some people prefer the American Style for its aesthetic qualities: it simply looks cleaner.

This isn’t to say, though, that if you’re British you must use the British Style and if you’re American, you must use the American Style.  Usage varies in both countries.  BBC News frequently switches between styles, and in the USA, the British Style is preferred in technical and scientific writing.

Which one you follow is mostly up to you; just be consistent.  I say mostly because you may have a teacher or an employer that prefers you use one style over the other, and in such instances, you should conform to what they want.

More examples follow after the break.

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