Run-on sentences

[Carol]

aleta wrote:> 
> I have always disliked this rule (and willingly disobey it) because it is illogical.
> It seems to me that if the quotation is not the entire sentence, then the period - which is intended to signal the end of the sentence - should go outside the quotation marks. Why do we have a different (silly, I think) rule for that anyway? Do you know the history there?
> 
> Aleta
>
Carol responds:
I don't know the history, but I'm sure that the reason behind the rule is simply consistency. If you know that commas and periods go to the left of the quotation marks (inside the quotation marks if you're talking about end punctuation), you'll get it right every time without thinking about it. With exclamation marks and question marks, you have to ask yourself whether the mark of punctuation is part of the dialogue/quotation or part of the main clause. With commas and periods, you just automatically type the mark of punctuation first and then type the quotation marks. Simple and easy to learn. Spelling isn't logical, either, but if you fight it because it isn't logical, you'll just confuse your reader or cause him or her to think you can't spell.

Carol, who thinks that in certain situations (such as business letters), it's best to follow the rules of punctuation, logical or not, because you want the reader to see that you know them