Believer  +  279321 Wed, 11 Oct 06 11:38 PM I think GG said in a post that American style guides put commas and periods inside the quotation marks, always. OK. Does that mean they are to be followed regardless how short or long the ones in quotation are? eg, ... such as 'a,' 'an,' or 'the.' How about if I use double apostrophes, is the American style guide permit that? ... such as "a," "an," or "the." Please note (I presume you already have noticed it) these are very short words.     Believer Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006 Contributing Member 1,969 Resume, Commas, Quotation Marks, Apostrophes

	Grammar Geek  +  279374 Thu, 12 Oct 06 04:14 AM It would be as you show in your second example. Awful, isn't it? Some style guides (I believe) do permit single quotes, but most use only double quotes.  If you have the typographical abilty to do it, you could use italics instead - such as a, an, or the. Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,671 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!