Question on Punctuation

icerose · Jun 25, 2005

I apologize if this has already been asked, I searched the archives but ended early at page 25 and figured I would just ask.

When a character in a book is telling a story or history and is uninterrupted in their speech. Do you

A. Place quotation marks at the beginning and end of each paragraph
B. Place one at the beginning of the speech and one at the end
C. None of the above I am way off the graph

Thanks,
Sara

Tish Davidson · Jun 25, 2005

American English
Quotation mark at the beginning of the paragraph. If the speaker continues uninterrupted into a new paragraph, no closing quotation mark at the end of the first paragraph, but a new quotation mark at the beginning of the new paragraph, and so on with no end quotation mark but a new opening one at the beginning of each new paragraph throughout the uninterrupted speech. At the end of the speech, a final closing quotation mark .

This is the only time I can think of when quote marks aren't paired.

icerose · Jun 25, 2005

Really??? I have never been taught anything about writing really, more about writing stupid papers that have nothing to do with anything else so I wasn't sure. No closing quotation mark, that feels so...unbalanced and unfinished.

Sara

Tish Davidson · Jun 25, 2005

Chicago Manual of Style 15th ed. (the current one)

'If quoted material of more than one paragrpah cannot be set as a blocK quotation, (which is normally much preferred) quotation marks are needed at the beginning of each paragraph but at the end of only the final paragraph. The same practice is followed in dialogue when one speaker's remarks extend over more than one paragraph.'

It does look unbalanced, but if you put quotation marks at the end of each paragraph, and then the beginning of the next, it indicates a new speaker.

maestrowork · Jun 25, 2005

"Blah blah blah," Joe said. "Yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada.

"More yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada.

"Yet more yada yada yada."

icerose · Jun 25, 2005

Thanks!
I really appreciate your help. I just wasn't sure what to do and when you said leave it open it caught me off guard because I had never heard of an open ended quotation mark.

Sara

hpoppink · Jun 25, 2005

It sounds strange, but it's effective. You've probably read many books that show this being done, but you haven't noticed. In my view, that counts as evidence that it does its job well.

icerose · Jun 26, 2005

hpoppink said:
It sounds strange, but it's effective. You've probably read many books that show this being done, but you haven't noticed. In my view, that counts as evidence that it does its job well.

Well and I tend to be semi-oblivious about everything. Don't try to, just always am in my own little world. I have never been one to pay attention to small details like that because it didn't matter, when I get sucked into a story I just see what is happening, and I don't notice anything else.

That is also my big downfall in editing because I become caught up in the story and forget to notice the details such as puncuation and sentence structure so I always need someone to ground me and bring me back down to earth where the work needs to be done.

Sara

Aconite · Jun 26, 2005

icerose said:
I just wasn't sure what to do and when you said leave it open it caught me off guard because I had never heard of an open ended quotation mark.

If it helps, don't think of it as an open-ended quotation mark. It's not, really, because the first and final ones are paired. The ones in between are "helpers," reminding you that you're still reading dialogue by the same speaker.

icerose · Jun 26, 2005

Aconite said:
If it helps, don't think of it as an open-ended quotation mark. It's not, really, because the first and final ones are paired. The ones in between are "helpers," reminding you that you're still reading dialogue by the same speaker.

That does help, thanks

Sara

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