Should this be:

I spotted couples "roaming the marshes", next to...

or

I spotted couples "roaming the marshes," next to



The roaming bit is in speech marks cos it is a previous joke she is referring to - so, as such, should the comma be inside the speech marks surrounding that quote, or outside?

Cheers.

The first one, because the punctuation isn't part of the quote.

<Added>

Can you put the full sentence up, because depending upon the context you might want a comma after "couples" - or possibly, no comma at all.

Ah, that makes sense.

Here's the full sentence Colin (you did ask for it) - thanks v. much.

Our overnight trip to the temple had called for desperate measures, as every time i went to squat in a nearby field I spotted couples "roaming the marshes", their bodies entwined, making love in honour of our Goddess - in broad daylight!

Colin's right. The comma must definitely come after the quotation marks. It is not part of the phrase that falls within them.

Chris

I agree with Colin too!

Thanks, Chris and Luisa - i've always wondered about this.

I've read that sentence over and over. Kind of forgot about the punctuation )

LOL!!

Yeah, I don't think life in Ancient Egypt was so bad afterall