这个议题是我上个月在一个坛子受启发而开始的，不过一直没有时间整理好。</SPAN></SPAN>
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原帖说，一个亲戚请教，在英文句子中有引号的话，是否句号应该里面，问号则应该放在外面，即如：</SPAN></SPAN>

Is this a "B"?

This is a "B."</SPAN>
 
发帖人的丈夫是受过良好教育的爱尔兰裔美国人，次子为中学生，他们认为问号和句号都放引号外面。
其长子也是中学生，他认为问号和句号都放在引号里面。
 
她的上司和同事都不约而同地说，问号和句号都放括号外面。上司的看法是，引号也是标点符号，既然问号和句号是句子的结尾，当然放在句末括号的外面。
 
于是坛子里轰轰烈烈地议论了好几天，各执一词。
 
有人说是放在外面的。

有人说“B”是一个整体，引号里面的B本来不带标点的，不会因为问句或陈述句的不同而带上标点的。这个句号是整个句子的结束标点，所以在句尾，如果放进引号里面，那这句话就等于少了句号。
 
有人说全部放在引号的里面，没有例外。
 
接着一位美国的坛友找来以下的资料 （见**）：
When it comes to commas and periods, though, logic doesn't enter into the equation, at least not in the United States.  Universal American usage places commas  and periods inside the quotation marks, regardless of logic. 
 
          ~"Diane," she said, "put the book down and go outside for a little while."
 
          ~"I will in a minute," she replied, "as soon as I finish this chapter."
 
    This rule applies even when the unit enclosed at the end of the sentence is just a single word rather than an actual quotation:
 
          ~To get to the next page, just press the little button marked "Enter."
 
    The only exception is when that last little item enclosed in quotation marks is just a letter or a number, in which case the period or comma will go outside the closing quotation marks:
 
          ~The buried treasure was marked on the map with a large "X".
 
          ~The only grade that will satisfy her is an "A".
 
          ~On this scale, the highest ranking is a "1", not a "10".
 
** 大意是说在通用美语用法中，除了字母和数字，逗号和句号都应该用在引号  阅读全文>>