<q> and commas

Let's suppose for a moment that we decide to keep the behavior of <q>, to
automatically generate quote marks. What about the comma at the end of the
quote that quotations require?

Proper English (and other languages) require a comma to be added at the end
of quotes that do not end with an exclamation point or a question mark (or,
I suppose, an ellipse). Additionally, it is often required that the quote be
preceded by a comma.

Examples:
* Scotty said, "I cannot change the laws of physics Captain!" in a very
tense voice.
* When my girlfriend said, "will you marry me?" I almost fainted.
* I was about to tell him, "I can't do that," but I didn't want to sound
like HAL.
* The box said, "... contains trans fats, saturated fats, unsaturated
fats..." which clearly makes this unsuitable for children to eat.

So, what should HTML do about this? If we've decided that HTML should insert
the appropriate quotation marks which function purely as presentational
delimiters, then I propose that it should also add the commas.

J.Ja

Received on Wednesday, 29 October 2008 12:32:00 UTC