Single and double quotation marks

Thekherham · Mar 17, 2007

What is the correct ending for the following example?

"When I finally saw him," John told me, "he said, 'I thought I'd never see you again, Bob'."

or is it,

'I thought I'd never see you again, Bob.'"

In other words, what is the order of the single quotations, the double quotations, and the period in a situation like this?

Judg · Mar 17, 2007

Your second example is correct, because the quote itself is a sentence, so a period is needed inside the single quote. A second period isn't necessary because readers have already figured out that the sentence has ended.

Where's Victor Borge when you need him?

Thekherham · Mar 18, 2007

Thank you.

Maryn · Mar 18, 2007

Um, I'm not positive, but mightn't the answer be different in the UK than the correct answer given for the US (and Canada, I guess, judging from the locations)?

If anybody knows for sure how the same thing ought to be done in the UK, it'd sure be good to see it here, whether it's the same or different.

Maryn, who'll never master all the subtleties

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

Maryn, since it is single quotes within double quotes, I would assume it's not British style.

But either way, since it's a quotation, the period goes inside the inside quotation mark, I believe. The only time when the period goes outside a quotation mark, in British English, is (I think I'm right):

He remembered what she said about the 'dark person'.

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

Plus, we don't call it a 'period'. That means when a lady's having her special grumpytime.

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

You call it 'full stop', don't you? I remember my British upbringing.

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

It is indeed a full stop. Every time I hear an American saying they put a period in their writing, I think...urgh. Dirty beggars.

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

I still remember Victor Borge.... Stop. Exclamation point. Comma. Question mark.

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

Exclamation mark!

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

You and your British hoyty-toytyness.

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

I'm glaring at you right this very minute, young man!

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

Don't forget, I am an American with a British education. I trump you!

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

Um...how?!

I am a Brit (Scottish to be precise) with a British (both Scottish and English) education, I look good in a dress and I have a cute dimple when I smile therefore I double-trump you right back.

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

This is seriously off-topic (sorry) but!

I know Chinese AND American English AND British English.

Plus I have TWO gorgeous dimples.

Nyah nyah nyah.

(p.s. I look good in a dress, too, so there!)

pdr · Mar 18, 2007

I am always puzzled by this.

I went to a very good school in England and was taught that speech marks were always " and quotation marks were '.

This is certainly taught still in NZ and UK schools like this last time I checked. But books now printed in the UK use the single mark ' for speech.

I have some of my own childhood books published by Collins in the 1940s and they use the double speech marks way back then. When did the change occur?

Every time I hear an American saying they put a period in their writing, I think...urgh. Dirty beggars.
Hear! Hear! Nasty habit, why don't they use full stops?

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

Speech marks and quotation marks are the same thing - "

If there's a quote within a quote, the 'main' speech uses " and within that, the 'nested' quote uses ' - also known as your normal, common-or-garden apostrophe.

scarletpeaches · Mar 18, 2007

maestrowork said:
This is seriously off-topic (sorry) but!

I know Chinese AND American English AND British English.

Plus I have TWO gorgeous dimples.

Nyah nyah nyah.

(p.s. I look good in a dress, too, so there!)

1) I can read Latin
2) MY dimple is on my face

3) I have an IQ of 147
4) I can eat cake like you wouldn't believe and not put on an ounce
5) I can get both legs behind my head

Nyah nyah nyah NYAH nyah. So there.

maestrowork · Mar 18, 2007

I am not so sure... Nick Horby used single quotes, but now he switched to double quotes. Could be the American version vs. British thing when they publish.

And I have Aruna's books. She used single quotes.

p.s. SP, my dimples are on my face, too, and I have an IQ of 149. I have kept my weight for more than 15 years. So there.

Sage · Mar 18, 2007

What if there's a quote within a quote within a quote?

Like, for example, if someone is reading something out loud (so double quotes for them speaking, single for what they're quoting), & inside the text they are reading, someone is quoted?

Bob opened to page 24 & began to read aloud. "'Sarah got out of bed at the crack of dawn. "Good morning, Sun."'" (looks way too confusing w/ all those quote marks)

Thekherham · Mar 18, 2007

Whoa, how did we get to this point?

Full stop, instead of period. I've never heard of that. (I can just hear a teacher here in Canada say, "Now, don't forget to add a full stop at the end of your sentence." Everyone in the class would say, "Huh? A what??")

I think the two meanings can be easily distinguished. I'm sure when a woman is in that time of the month, she is not referring to the little dot at the end of a sentence.

If a period is a full stop, is a comma a half stop?

Judg · Mar 18, 2007

Sage said:
What if there's a quote within a quote within a quote?

Like, for example, if someone is reading something out loud (so double quotes for them speaking, single for what they're quoting), & inside the text they are reading, someone is quoted?

Bob opened to page 24 & began to read aloud. "'Sarah got out of bed at the crack of dawn. "Good morning, Sun."'" (looks way too confusing w/ all those quote marks)

*Sigh* Some people don't have enough problems with what life is already handing them, they have to go looking for more. :Shrug:

What you did is correct, but you're right, it looks barbaric anyway. It is not at all difficult to avoid ever writing a sentence that will require that many nested quotes.

Now go sit in the corner and think about mending your ways.

Judg · Mar 18, 2007

maestrowork said:
(p.s. I look good in a dress, too, so there!)

Prove it!

Sage · Mar 18, 2007

So what do you do w/ quadruple quotes?

Couldn't resist.

Judg · Mar 18, 2007

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