Comma long sentences for clarity; however, this usage is regarded as an error in modern times. The comma and the quotation mark pairing can be used in several ways. In American English, the comma is commonly included inside a quotation mark: In Great Britain and many other parts of the world, punctuation is usually placed within quotation marks only if it is part of what is being quoted or referred to: There is also some difference regarding the use of the serial comma, which is an optional comma placed before the coordinating conjunction in a list of three or more items:
What Is a Nation? What Is a Nation? "What is a Nation?" ("Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?") is an 1882 lecture by French historian Ernest Renan (1823–1892), known for the statements that a nation is "a daily referendum", and that nations are based as much on what the people jointly forget, as what they remember. It is frequently quoted or anthologized in works of history or political science pertaining to nationalism and national identity. Renan wrote "What is a Nation" in order to symbolize the nationalism which was born in France as a result of the French Revolution of 1789. Renan begins his essay by noting