1. American Punctuation: This system is commonly used in the United States and Canada, and in some other English-speaking countries. It emphasizes using single quotation marks for quotations and double quotation marks for quotations within quotations. Additionally, it uses a period inside closing quotation marks, even when the period is part of the quoted material.
* Example: "He said, 'I'm going to the store.'"
2. British Punctuation: This system is prevalent in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries. It uses double quotation marks for quotations and single quotation marks for quotations within quotations. It also places the period outside of the closing quotation marks unless it is part of the quoted material.
* Example: "He said, "I'm going to the store."
Other punctuation styles:
* French Punctuation: This system is similar to the British system but uses guillemets (« » and › ‹) for quotations instead of quotation marks.
* German Punctuation: This system is similar to American punctuation but uses different rules for commas and semicolons, as well as different punctuation marks for certain types of quotations.
It's important to be consistent with the punctuation style you choose throughout your writing and to be aware of the specific rules and conventions of the style you are using.