The sign said "Keep off the grass".
Questions
(1) Comma after "said"? The sign obviously didn't speak, so omit comma?
(2) There was no terminal punctuation (full stop) after "grass", so full stop goes outside ending quotes?
(3) If the sign did have terminal punctuation, period goes inside like this, right?
The sign said "Keep off the grass."
And, would a comma follow "read"?
The sign read, "Keep off the grass".
Thank you.
Best Answer
1). A comma is not required, as commas are normally used when separating two sentences spoken by one or more characters.
2). When expressing what a sign or other normally non-punctuated set of words, a stop being inside the expression is not strictly required or frowned upon, though many people prefer the stop to be outside if the sentence is very short