Punctuation question.... can you help?

[LDS Jock]

I was having a conversation with a friend about punctuation, specifically about periods always going inside quotation marks. (I have the most exciting conversations, don't I?) Then it moved to ? being inside or outside, depending on where the question was in the sentence, either inside or outside the quote. Anyway, we came up with this hypothetical sentence and didn't know where to put the ? so that is where you come in. Here is the sentence.

Did she just say, "I'm going to the grocery store, do you need anything"

Should it be anything?" or anything"? since it is a question both ways. I know this is dumb, and pointless, but I am curious. So, what's the answer.

[StopTheMorans]

1. correct punctuation is "I'm going to the grocery store, do you need beer?"

[gtp1976]

3. if she has to ask

if I need beer she must not know me very well. :-)

[Richardo]

2. Here's how you'd use #2:

Have you ever seen a post that says "ask me anything"?

[LDS Jock]

5. I know how to do it that way

But since the sentence was a question both ways

Did she say "blah blah blah"?

"I'm going to the store, do you need beer?"

we just weren't sure which way was standard.

[skygazer]

4. I believe

That since she was asking a question that was being questioned, it would be inside, like this - "I'm going to the grocery store, do you need anything?"

If she was making a statement, it would be outside - as in

Did she just say, "I need a beer"?

But I'm not totally sure on that...

[skip fox]

6. Yes, inside the quotation takes priority.

British publishing does somewhat the opposite, so if you're reading a book published in Lond, expect to find the period outside the terminal quotation mark.

English Prof.

[trof]

12. I thought you punctuate both places if needed.

John said, "I'm leaving now.".
No?

[skygazer]

7. HEY!!!!!!

Is this a ploy? In your other thread regarding your rotten cold, you said something about waiting for someone to play grammar cop and you'd explode. Now you're asking grammar questions..... hmmmmm...... Is there an explosion imminent? :nuke:

[LDS Jock]

9. lol.. silly.. no, not a trap

but yes I did say that. I'm curious is all since it came up. Although it doesn't look like anyone else thinks its a problem sentence.

[eoberhauser]

8. Per Webster

A single question mark will suffice to end a quoted question within a question:

"Didn't he ask, 'What did we do, who preceded you?'" queried Johnson.

Erin

[LDS Jock]

10. thank you

just the answer I needed.. and welcome to DU

[eoberhauser]

11. "Why thank you!" she said.

;)

Erin

[On the Road]

13. Try a Slightly Different Sentence, Too

The phrases "do you need anything" and "did she just say" are both questions, so while it's a legitimate question (I've wondered this myself), it muddies the waters by combining two questions.

Now, if it were just:

Did she just say, "I'm going to the grocery store"

where would the question mark be then? I would say on the outside, since it's not part of the quotation. But I could be wrong.

[TlalocW]

14. Also

You need a semi-colon between "I'm going to the grocery store" and "do you need anything." Not a comma.

TlalocW