Confusion about quote marks.

Chumplet · Nov 6, 2009

Hi! I'm stuck on this paragraph:

Inside the apartment, her father's low voice intersected her mother's shrill protests. Somewhere in the mix, Rebecca heard "New start" and "Time to think".

I'm not sure whether the period belongs inside or outside the quotes, since this isn't dialogue.

Can anyone straighten me out please & thanks?

charlotte49ers · Nov 6, 2009

Is someone saying those things or are they thoughts? If they are the character's thoughts, I think you should italicize. The way I read it, though, was she was hearing bits and pieces of what her parents were saying, so quotes would be right. I'm pretty sure this is right, but someone else correct me if I'm wrong!

Somewhere in the mix, Rebecca heard them say, "new start," and, "time to think."

blacbird · Nov 6, 2009

This example is a little tricky. My instant reaction is that either way would work. Which means:

It's a really minor editor's problem. God created editors for exactly this purpose.

Go write more story.

caw

Wayne K · Nov 6, 2009

Somewhere in the mix, Rebecca heard "New start," and "Time to think."

I would put a comma after new start and the period inside like this if these are voices she's hearing. I'm a grammar moron though, I'm interested to hear what other people have to say.

Kathleen42 · Nov 6, 2009

Personal thought (without looking it up and being a total grammar dunce) is that, as written, it should go outside. It's not really dialogue so I don't think it would go inside.

Chumplet · Nov 6, 2009

Can you tell I'm stalling LOL! Thanks, guys. I'll put the punctuation inside the quotes for now, and let the editor worry about it later.

Must go make more words now!

Thanks, but carry on if you want, in case someone else is wondering...

Wayne K · Nov 6, 2009

It won't be any fun without you.

Chumplet · Nov 6, 2009

I'll be sure to drop by in case there's beer.

Kisatchie · Nov 7, 2009

I wouldn't put the comma in there. I don't think it's needed.

Shadow_Ferret · Nov 7, 2009

I think in U.S., the period always goes inside the quotes, regardless of logic.

Can't help you with Canada.

veinglory · Nov 7, 2009

Just to mix things up

-- I would put the punctuation outside the quotes. The statements are within the larger sentence.

IceCreamEmpress · Nov 7, 2009

In the US, the period goes inside the quotation marks.

And that is dialogue, because someone is saying it. It's fragmented dialogue, but it's dialogue nonetheless.

If I were your editor, I would change that to:

Inside the apartment, her father's low voice intersected her mother's shrill protests. Somewhere in the mix, Rebecca heard "...new start," and "time to think."

veronie · Nov 7, 2009

In the U.S., periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

In Canada or Britain, you'd put the period outside the quotation marks in the sentence you gave (I'm fairly certain).

girlyswot · Nov 7, 2009

veronie said:
In Canada or Britain, you'd put the period outside the quotation marks in the sentence you gave (I'm fairly certain).

No, you wouldn't. The two thoughts are both complete sentences and thus require some punctuation to end them. This goes inside the quotations marks. And since there is punctuation inside the quotation marks, you don't need it again outside.

Where it is different in the UK is if you are quoting incomplete phrases (but not in dialogue) that don't include any punctuation of their own. In that case you wouldn't add punctuation to the quotation, so you would need to put it outside the quotation mark.

veronie · Nov 7, 2009

I will defer to you, since I don't work with British English. But, I still have questions, because it does not seem like it is strict dialogue in his example. It seems the narrator is recalling past dialogue, and recalling two different bits of it, and thus to me would require the period on the outside. I admit, I'm not sure how the British rules exactly apply.

P.S. I mean, the British system involving quotation marks is all about being logical, and logic dictates that since you have to bits of dialogue, both incomplete, the period doesn't necessarily belong with the last one, rather the period belongs with the total sentence, hence outside the quotation marks.

Kathleen42 · Nov 7, 2009

veronie said:
I will defer to you, since I don't work with British English. But, I still have questions, because it does not seem like it is strict dialogue in his example. It seems the narrator is recalling past dialogue, and recalling two different bits of it, and thus to me would require the period on the outside. I admit, I'm not sure how the British rules exactly apply.

I took it as the narrator recalling and possibly even interpreting. I did not read it as dialogue.

backslashbaby · Nov 8, 2009

So the US one is always one way and easier to remember? Ah! I'm good to go then, for life. Cool. Where's the beer

?

Chumplet · Nov 10, 2009

Yeah, it wasn't really dialogue, just snippets of conversation. This is really interesting!

RJK · Nov 11, 2009

I was told by an English teacher, who edited my MS, that punctuation always goes inside the quotes (in the US). In this particular case I had single quotes inside double quotes. The period (full stop) still went inside the single quote. It went someting like: Sam said, "I heard the cop say 'Drop the gun or I'll shoot.'"

Confusion about quote marks.

Chumplet

This hat is getting too hot

charlotte49ers

let it snow

blacbird

Wayne K

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

Chumplet

This hat is getting too hot

Wayne K

Chumplet

This hat is getting too hot

Kisatchie

I stop at railroad crossings

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

veinglory

volitare nequeo

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

veronie

practical experience, FTW

girlyswot

veronie

practical experience, FTW

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

backslashbaby

*

Chumplet

This hat is getting too hot

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

Confusion about quote marks.

This hat is getting too hot

let it snow

crushing on fictional characters

This hat is getting too hot

This hat is getting too hot

I stop at railroad crossings

Court Jester

volitare nequeo

Hapless Virago

practical experience, FTW

practical experience, FTW

crushing on fictional characters

~~~~*~~~~

This hat is getting too hot

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

*