Do the quotation marks come before or after a comma in a sentence?

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Guest

Example sentence:
The words “expect,†“plan,†“believe,†“anticipate,†and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

I think the quotations should come before the commas, but my lawyer says
they come after like the example above. To me, the below reads correctly:

The words “expectâ€, “planâ€, “believeâ€, “anticipateâ€, and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Any English teachers out there that can help?
Thank you,
Cafino
 
Although this isn't a Word question & I'm not a professor of English I'll
throw my hat in the ring, anyhow.

According to my sources (one of which is William Strunk, Jr. (1869–1946).
The Elements of Style. 1918), neither example in your post is correct. The
string of words should be italicized. Quotation marks are used to indicate a
direct quote.

Expect a number of differing points of view, but I doubt that any (other
than that of another lawyer, perhaps) will agree with your lawyer :)

Regards |:>)
 
The commas should certainly be OUTside the quotes - but you shouldn't have
one at all after "anticipate".

I'm just an English speaker but it looks ridiculous to me as you have posted
it (in UK English anyway) at the start of your post.
 
I'm a great believer in the serial comma, so I would definitely include one
after "anticipate." While it is true that words treated as words are
normally italicized (and if you're using Word, you certainly have the
capability to do that. Tony's instructions (comma outside the quotes)
reflect UK usage. In the U.S., the commas go inside the quotes. So the
"correct" answer depends on where you are (and your lawyer's answer may very
well be based on where he was educated).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
Well, well, well!

Thankyou for that Suzanne. I don't think I've ever seen that usage - and
still think it looks horribly wrong :)
 
And I'm embarrassed that I didn't proofread my post (corrected below). <g>

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
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