Use of full stop after closing inverted comma, when the sentence enclosed with inverted commas has a full stop at the end

Question

Suppose I am writing a sentence. The sentence has a sentence in inverted commas. After the closing inverted comma appears, the main sentence also ends. As the main sentence ends, there will a full stop at the end. In this case, there will be three punctuation marks in a row: first, there will be a full stop marking end of quoted sentence; second, there will be a closing inverted comma marking close of the quotation; lastly, there will be a full stop marking end of the main sentence. Take an example: The judgment says “John is guilty.”.

To me, this use of full stops is logical; we cannot do away with any of the full stops in the above example.

Am I correct?

commas punctuation quotation marks

To me, this use of full stops is logical; we cannot do away with any of the full stops in the above example.

Am I correct?

Ashish Singh · Accepted Answer

In your example sentence, there is no need of the last full stop.

The judgement says, "John is guilty."

deadrat · Answer

Punctuation is a matter of style, and as such you should be guided by your manual of style.  I use the Chicago Manual of Style, which advises

A period should be omitted at the end of a sentence that is included within another sentence.

On the side of the Atlantic that includes the CMS, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks:

The judgment says, "John is guilty."

The rest of the world places them where they make sense

The judgment says, "John is guilty".

Use of full stop after closing inverted comma, when the sentence enclosed with inverted commas has a full stop at the end

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