Improve your bloody grammar!

[SwadianJedi]

Calm your tits, ladies, there is only one gentleman on the forum. The singular was intentional and appropriate.

Fixed 

 

[Magorian Aximand]

This is what happens when I type while half asleep.

 

[Anthropoid]

This is what happens when I type while half asleep.

That is what happens when I type while half awake.

 

[Cyborg Eastern European]

Here's one that bothers me in every language I'm (not) fluent in: The **** do you do when your question ends in a quote?

 

[Anthropoid]

There may be some strange exceptions, but in English quotation marks should generally come first and last in a sentence, except for internal single quotes, which should be kept immediately around the quoted material.

 

[Magorian Aximand]

I think you misunderstood. His question wasn't about the placement of quotation marks generally, but rather what the protocol is when you're asking a question which end with an internal quote. For example:

What did Jack mean when he said, "Brightness foresees the rug."?

I could be mistaken, but I believe the above statement represents the correct format. The question mark follows the internal quote, and the punctuation for the internal quote is encapsulated by the quotation marks.

 

[rebelsquirrell]

Y doo we kneed a grammR top-ic lik sirisly wot the hel. me  Egnlish is fin

 

[Bluehawk]

In American English, the terminal punctuation for the sentence is always inside the quotation mark, regardless of the nesting logic. If you quote a statement in a question, the statement will end with a question mark. If you move the quote to the front or middle of the sentence, then the logical period at the end becomes a comma. But if you're quoting a question in a statement, the question mark is retained for clarity's sake. Exclamation marks work the same way.

Did John really say "That's a bad idea?"
"That's a bad idea," John said indeed.

"Is this a bad idea?" Jill asked.
"It's a bad idea!" John repeated.

The British put the punctuation outside, but never have, for example, a question mark, quotation mark, and then a period all in a row. Only one terminator is necessary. If the quote ends the sentence and has a question mark, then the question mark is inside the quotation mark and nothing follows after. If the quote is a statement and the sentence on the whole is interrogative, then the question mark falls outside the quotation mark.

Jill asked, "Is this a bad idea?"
Why did John say "It's a bad idea"?
"Because," Jack interjected, "it bleeding well is".

 

[Anthropoid]

I think you misunderstood. His question wasn't about the placement of quotation marks generally, but rather what the protocol is when you're asking a question which end with an internal quote. For example:

What did Jack mean when he said, "Brightness foresees the rug."?

I could be mistaken, but I believe the above statement represents the correct format. The question mark follows the internal quote, and the punctuation for the internal quote is encapsulated by the quotation marks.

Don't think so. I believe it would be:

What did Jack mean when he said, "Brightness foresees the rug?"

Check this out. Everything I've ever learned mirrors what that site is saying

How to Punctuate a Quote

Basically, any punctuation that comes before the beginning of the quote goes outside of the quotation marks, and any punctuation that comes at the end of the quote stays inside the marks. Study these examples:

    Then he said, “How would you like to get some ice cream after the movie?”

In this sentence, there is a lead-in to the quote. Notice that at the end of the lead-in, before the quote begins, there is a comma. And at the end of the quote, still inside the quotation marks, is the question mark.

    “I would love to,” I replied, “but I really ought to go home.”

Here, the quote is divided into two phrases - “I would love to” and “but I really ought to go home.” This is one sentence, that has been split up to identify the speaker in the middle. You can break up a quote like this as long as you split it at an appropriate place, and there are three appropriate places to divide a quote:

    Between clauses - She buys in bulk / because it’s cheaper.
    Before the main clause starts - In the spring, / I like to sit outside and read.
    Before the verb - The man in the tuxedo / had been staring intently into his bourbon for the better part of an hour.

    “Oh,” he said sadly and turned to walk away.

In this final sentence, the quote comes at the beginning. If the quote would normally end with a period like this one, use a comma inside the quotation marks, and then continue the sentence outside. If the quote would end with a question mark or an exclamation point, use that inside, and then continue the sentence outside the quotation marks.“Where are you going?” she asked.“I love it!” he exclaimed.

If your quoted text is a complete sentence (or multiple sentences), capitalize the first letter of the sentence(s) regardless of where you put the quote within the larger sentence. “We went to the movies,” she said.

She said, “We went to the movies.”

In American English, the terminal punctuation for the sentence is always inside the quotation mark, regardless of the nesting logic.  . . . snip . . .

The British put the punctuation outside, but never have, for example, a question mark, quotation mark, and then a period all in a row. Only one terminator is necessary. If the quote ends the sentence and has a question mark, then the question mark is inside the quotation mark and nothing follows after. If the quote is a statement and the sentence on the whole . . . snip . . .

Ah yes! The dreaded American-British difference 

 

[Magorian Aximand]

Learn something new every day. I think the most sensible in this case would be the British with the terminator outside of the quote, as placing a question mark within the quotes at the end of a statement makes the statement appear to be a question, when in fact it is there because of your question about the statement.

Why did John say "It's a bad idea"?
Why did John say "It's a bad idea?"

The former example just seems more clear to me. So to answer Hyp's question, that's how I would handle it in your situation, where you're not a native speaker, and you're not in a context in which sticking wholly to British or American English is required.

 

[Magorian Aximand]

It looks wrong to me, as well. And I'm American, so... perhaps it's just stupid.

 

[Cyborg Eastern European]

Don't worry, it feels weird to me too, that's why I asked.
Thanks, by the way. Even if I'll need a couple of days to wrap my head around it all again.
_{****ing hate linguistics.}

 

[Pixel]

Putting punctuation outside of the quotes looks extremely awkward to me.

 

[Cyborg Eastern European]

To be honest, neither looks better than the other.

 

[Austupaio]

Outside looks awkward, inside lacks clarity. I say what I usually say about English, quit fretting the rules and say what people will understand.

 

[Magorian Aximand]

"quit"

 

[Austupaio]

Obviously a typo and not a grammatical mistake, you ****ing idiot. Get off your high horse.

隐藏

 

[Magorian Aximand]

 

[Anthropoid]

Obviously a typo and not a grammatical mistake, you ******** idiot. Get off your high horse.

隐藏

It was obviously a typo, but you continue to make basic grammatical mistakes as well.

 

[Swissky]

Your annoying.