1. American English (also known as "logical punctuation"):
* Periods and commas go inside the quotation marks, regardless of whether the punctuation is part of the quoted material or not.
* Colons and semicolons go outside the quotation marks.
* Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if they are part of the quoted material, and outside if they are part of the larger sentence.
Examples:
* "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," she said.
* She asked, "Where are you going?"
* He said, "I'm going to the store"; then he left.
* He said, "I'm going to the store."
2. British English (also known as "traditional punctuation"):
* Periods and commas go inside the quotation marks only if they are part of the quoted material. Otherwise, they go outside.
* Colons and semicolons go outside the quotation marks.
* Question marks and exclamation points follow the same rules as American English.
Examples:
* "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", she said.
* She asked, "Where are you going?"
* He said, "I'm going to the store"; then he left.
* He said, "I'm going to the store".
Important notes:
* If a quotation is within another quotation, use single quotation marks for the inner quotation. For example: "He said, 'I'm going to the store,' and then he left."
* In American English, use double quotation marks for all quotations. In British English, use single quotation marks for quotations within a sentence, and double quotation marks for quotations that stand alone.
Ultimately, the best way to ensure your punctuation is correct is to consult the style guide for your specific writing context.