Hi, girls! I need some quick punctuation help....

[Janie]

I've quickly looked for this answer and don't readily see it.

How do you accurately punctuate a sentence that contains several short quotations ending in an exclamation point and each quotation separated by commas? Is this correct form? Typically the commas would be inside the quotes.

Xxxxxxx bbbbbb pppp, "Wwwwww!", "Eeeeeeee!", and "Yyyyyyyy!"

Thanks! I've got loads going on and need to post a huge prayer request but will have to do it tomorrow after a first to the surgeon.

[Pongo]

Quotation Rules

Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation-a person's exact words.

How to punctuate and capitalize a quotation
A direct quotation begins with a capital letter.

When a quoted sentence is divided into two parts by an interrupting expression such as he said or Mother asked, the second part begins [read that as continues] with a small letter. (Split quotation)

A direct quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by commas or by a question mark or exclamation point.

Where to place end marks in a quote
A period or comma following a quotation should be placed inside the closing quotation marks.

A question mark or an exclamation point should be placed inside the closing quotation marks if the quotation is a question or exclamation. Otherwise it should be placed outside.

Special placement of quotes
When you write dialogue (two or more persons having a conversation), begin a new paragraph each time you change speakers.

When a quotation consists of several sentences, put quotation marks only at the beginning and at the end of the whole quotation, not around each sentence in the quotation.

Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.

Conventional uses
Use quotation marks to enclose titles of chapters, articles, short stories, poems, songs, and other parts of books or magazines. (Minor works or parts of works)

[Jenn in CA]

Xxxxxxx bbbbbb pppp, "Wwwwww!", "Eeeeeeee!", and "Yyyyyyyy!"


That looks right to me. If the commas bother you could make it a string of exclamations, thusly:

>>>The kids yelled, "Oooooh!" "Aaaaaaah!" "Yaaaaay!"

[Julie in MN]

I've quickly looked for this answer and don't readily see it.

How do you accurately punctuate a sentence that contains several short quotations ending in an exclamation point and each quotation separated by commas? Is this correct form? Typically the commas would be inside the quotes.

Xxxxxxx bbbbbb pppp, "Wwwwww!", "Eeeeeeee!", and "Yyyyyyyy!"

Thanks! I've got loads going on and need to post a huge prayer request but will have to do it tomorrow after a first to the surgeon.

I can't think of a situation where I'd do it like that, but I'm sure there is one. It wouldn't be correct in dialogue, but maybe if one person is referring to several different, very excited sounds he had heard? I'd be tempted to make them slightly less excited & leave out the first two exclamation marks, but maybe the writer wants major excitement?

Julie