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Subject:Re: periods inside quotation marks? From:Lisa Higgins <lisarea -at- LUCENT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 9 Jun 1998 14:11:12 +0000
> Anyway, all to say that I could be wrong,
> but I've never heard of any flexibility with that rule. So I think,
Actually, I think the US is the only English-speaking country that
puts the period inside of quotation marks.
That said, there's no real "rule" about this. There are various
styles, but if they won't work for your purpose, make up your own
style. Just do what makes sense for you.
For example, when I document character-based systems or include text
for users to enter, I never punctuate it unless it's really part of
the text.
If your instruction is set off from the rest of the text, it doesn't
really need a period, anyway.
Remember, rules and guidelines are just tools. If they don't work,
don't use them.
In this particular case, I'd use a different font if possible, and if
not, I'd leave the punctuation out or recast the sentence to avoid
the issue entirely (as in "Click 'Quit' to close the application.")
