http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aQuotation+marks+tag%3aUsagesSearch results for 'tag:Quotation marks tag:Usages' matching tags 'Quotation marks' and 'Usages'en-USXMOD (Build: 3715.30106)http://www.englishforums.com/English/SeveralQuotationMarksTogether-English/lcbnq/post.htm#932845Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:39:12 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:932845jingtianThanks, everyone. According to The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style: With other punctuation Put commas and periods inside closing quotation marks; put colons and semicolons outside. Other punctuation, such as exclamation points and question marks, should be inside the closing quotation marks only if it is part of the matter being quoted. Chicago Manual of Style also says "Periods and commas precede closing quotation marks, whether double or single." But I haven't seen any examples of multiple consecutive quotation marks, one followed by another. That's the reason I want to confirm. The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage seems interesting, I will buy it. Thanks.http://www.englishforums.com/English/SeveralQuotationMarksTogether-English/lcbnq/post.htm#931120Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:57:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:931120anonymousJingtian, The New York Times style book says: periods and commas, in American usage, always go inside the closing quotation marks, regardless of grammatical logic. Another source gives this example: ...two complete thoughts joined by "and," "but," "or," or "nor." (Semicolons and colons, however, do NOT go inside.)http://www.englishforums.com/English/INeedHelpWithWordUsage/kpbzb/post.htmSat, 19 Sep 2009 21:54:29 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:909280anonymousIs my use of the word ideology correct in the following sentence, also, is it improper to use quotation marks around words in a formal paper? The ideology of "traditional" or "normal" family is presented in the opening of chapter seven.http://www.englishforums.com/English/PunctuationWithQuotes/kkdnl/post.htm#886339Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:32:52 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:886339ferdisWell, I can finally put this one to bed: In The Grammar Bible, which I love as a reference, it states that "the comma and the period go inside the closing quotation marks at all times. There are no exceptions to this rule" (Strumpf and Douglas 446). That must be an American bible then For example, the Penguin Writer's Manual states, "When the quoted words do not form a full sentence, then there should be no capital letter and the full stop should appear outside the inverted commas because it belongs to the sentence in which the quotation appears, not to the quotation itself ... American usage differs from British usage at this point. In American usage, full stops and commas come inside the quotation...http://www.englishforums.com/English/DialogLineQuotationMarks/kdmqx/post.htmSun, 09 Aug 2009 06:02:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:853703anonymousOk, I'm stuck with something. I'm writing a book and I am using the dialog line because I come from a country where that is how we write dialog. Example: - Hello, she said. - Hi, he answered. Now since I moved into an english talking country I noticed the quotation marks. "Hello", she said. "Hi", he answered. I looked everywhere on web but couldn't find the term "dialog line" in english nor an explanation for both. I wonder if my book will be refused by publishers only because I'm using the dialog line. Does anyone know the difference of usage between continents or something?http://www.englishforums.com/English/CommaAfterQuestionMarkCorrectUsage-Commas/jkzgd/post.htm#820349Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:22:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:820349mister micawberThe accepted method is: "Is that you , Susan?" he asked the maid downstairs . There are two 'rules' involved here. (1) The punctuation within the quoation marks belongs to the quote or utterance and is not a punctuation of the overall sentence. (2) Quotations are set off by the introductory or other text ( He said; said he ) with quotation marks alone; any other punctuation is redundant or obfuscatory.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HeardThatPresentTense/wmnrb/post.htm#738190Tue, 19 May 2009 21:18:15 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:738190meantolearndirect speech /qouted speech Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech) Here what a person says appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word. For example: She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations." or "Today's lesson is on presentations," she said. indirect speech / reported speech Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Trivia/nrkpg/post.htm#1088943Mon, 14 Feb 2005 18:32:25 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1088943r h draneyIda Goode-Johnson filted: Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"? Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?... I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease. Sadly, what I actually got was many, many references to quizzes about Grease. This may be more a reflection of how the information you want presents itself...Google uses keywords to do searches, and your query as phrased would only get you things that actually used the word "trivia" on the page...quizzes are more likely to include this word than simple collections of anecdotes, many of...http://www.englishforums.com/English/TheUkraineOrUkraine/8/mqmbk/Post.htm#1088375Sun, 13 Feb 2005 15:39:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1088375wayne brownSome more evidence: the http://www.infoukes.com/faq/the ukraine/ article quoted above was written in 1994 by Andrew Gregorovich. His short bio is available from http://www.infoukes.com/history/ww2/: "Andrew Gregorovich is a third generation Canadian who heard the war on the radio. Andrew Gregorovich's writings are yet another reminder that the English language would be well advised to resist attempts to get sucked into nationalist disputes throughout the world, changing usage according to some group's wishes. If Gregorovich's first article Ukraine or "the Ukraine" contains highly debatable premises for native speakers of English, then his survey World War II in Ukraine presents a number of conclusions that are...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PeterPan/4/mnlcr/Post.htm#1072460Sat, 08 Jan 2005 08:16:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1072460steve hayesAnd I'm pretty sure that a whole lot more don't, and correspond to BrE "named". "He was named as chairman of the committee." Of course, but we aren't talking about that usage of "named". We're talking about "named (PROPER-NAME)". As in "He was named Frederick Aloysius, but everyone called him Fred". But his parents may have called him Frederick Aloysius, especially when he was in trouble as a child. As the knight said to Alice: "The name of the song is called 'Haddocks' eyes'" "Oh, that's the name of the song is it?" Alice said, trying to feel interested. "No, you don't understand," the Knight said, looking a little vexed....http://www.englishforums.com/English/TsunamiSheSaid/5/mnnpb/Post.htm#1071254Wed, 05 Jan 2005 19:51:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1071254don grovesMaria Conlon hath writ: ?Near on...?, ?nigh on...?, ?going on...?, ?nearly...?; all the same kettle of fish in these parts. Then the OP, Charles, must be picking up some local lingo now that he's moved there. Perhaps he'll pick up ... at it. Not that it matters in spoken English, of course. Btw, why the front-end question marks? And the "...?,"? When I typed them, they were quote marks. SOmething to do with my changing my encoding to suit Rey? Are these quotes - ""? You don't like commas inside of (some) quotation marks, if I remember correctly, so the odd usage in that first line of your reply is puzzling. Not putting a gun to your head, Thanks! Maria Conlon dg (domain=ccwebster)http://www.englishforums.com/English/TsunamiSheSaid/4/mnnpb/Post.htm#1071014Wed, 05 Jan 2005 07:35:04 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1071014maria conlonMaria Conlon hath writ: "Near on a year" is new to me. (NTTAWWI.) ... new construction? Or is it, perhaps, idiomatic in some areas? ?Near on...?, ?nigh on...?, ?going on...?, ?nearly...?; all the same kettle of fish in these parts. Then the OP, Charles, must be picking up some local lingo now that he's moved there. Perhaps he'll pick up the spelling idea of "no one" as opposed to "no-one" while he's at it. Not that it matters in spoken English, of course. Btw, why the front-end question marks? And the "...?,"? You don't like commas inside of (some) quotation marks, if I remember correctly, so the odd usage in that first line of your reply is puzzling. Not putting a gun to your...http://www.englishforums.com/English/UsageDictionariesDefinitionTerm-PhraseTypeSpecific/mmqgq/post.htm#1065970Fri, 24 Dec 2004 10:51:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065970donna richouxa. What is the definition of the term or phrase?... "type-specific" It's odd that it doesn't turn up in Onelook.com, which indexes quite a few dictionaries including medical and scientific ones. It means "specific to one type". For example, a vaccine may give immunity to only one specific form of a disease; it is type-specific. b. Where around the web are there dictionaries of usage?... I don't know what a "usage dictionary" is, really. Good English dictionaries include quite a few two- and three-word phrases, but no one can include all possible combinations, because there are just too many. One trick for hard-to-find meanings to is Google on such phrases as (with quotation marks):...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/3/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065674Thu, 23 Dec 2004 09:12:21 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065674stan brownLes Coover asks about: Stan Brown explains: A few decades ago virtually every Briton would write it the first way Actually, they'd more likely use single quotes. Good point. :-) and virtually every American would write it the second way.(*) (*) Assuming for the sake of argument that the quotes ... "basket case" doesn't seem slangy enough to require them IMHO. It could be a direct quotation of "her" words. Another good point. Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ "Don't move, or I'll fill you full of (... pause ...) little yellow bolts of light." Farscape, first episodehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1065673Thu, 23 Dec 2004 09:11:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065673stan brownAnother data point: schooled in Maryland in the 1950s and 1960s, I was taught that comma and period always go inside the preceding quote. As noted by others uptopic, you were misinformed. Comma and period go inside the preceeding quote in two instances: (1) They are part of the quoted material. (2) The quotation is done in America. Thanks. My first response to this thread made it clear that I knew that. The subthread was about what people were taught in school. Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ "Don't move, or I'll fill you full of (... pause ...) little yellow bolts of light." Farscape, first episodehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/3/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065631Thu, 23 Dec 2004 05:30:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065631mark braderLes Coover asks about: She thought I was a "basket case". She thought I was a "basket case." Stan Brown explains: A few decades ago virtually every Briton would write it the first way Actually, they'd more likely use single quotes. and virtually every American would write it the second way.(*)... (*) Assuming for the sake of argument that the quotes belong there at all. I wouldn't use them; "basket case" doesn't seem slangy enough to require them IMHO. It could be a direct quotation of "her" words. Mark Brader > Peter Neumann on Y2K: Toronto > This problem gives new meaning to "going out on (Email Removed) > a date" (which many systems will do on 1/1/00).http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065603Thu, 23 Dec 2004 02:42:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065603raymond s. wiseOn the question of quotation marks, *The Chicago Manual of ... files) at www.century-dictionary.com . The following examples come from it: Does any foreword or other documentation in the CMS cite the Century Dictionary for the CMS style? Does the Century ... Century Dictionary (might have begged) to excuse punctuation variations as undocumented errata, to be blamed on poorly supervised typesetters. ; W. Holmes," whereas modern American usage would tend towards no space, as in "O.W. Holmes." That was why I used the Century as an example: If I had had Internet access to other documents of the time in facsimile form, I fully expect that I would find that they, too, put the comma inside the closing quotation marks in...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065424Wed, 22 Dec 2004 17:55:48 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065424pat durkinI would write I thought, "This must be a good ... earlier (many's the time), there tends to be a usagepattern in Does any foreword or other documentation in the CMS cite the Century Dictionary for the CMS style? Does the Century Dictionary make claims about its authority as an arbiter of style (as opposed to word meanings and sources?) I don't intend to look it up, and hope you don't, likewise. After all, as I see it, even the CMS does not propose to mandate style usage for any but serious, intended-for-publication writing. Would you use the Century Dictionary as an authority on "How to Use Capital Letters in Titles and Informal Writing" (in the US)? In addition, I would expect that even the Century Dictionary...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065254Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:23:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065254raymond s. wiseQuotation marks, correct usage. I understand that the quotation mark ... She thought I was a "basket case." Which is correct? I would write I thought, "This must be a good idea." because the quotation is a complete sentence, is part ... for any redundancy in my reply. We agree on the essentials, I think. Pat durkinpa at msn.com Wisconsin On the question of quotation marks, *The Chicago Manual of Style* simply followed the practice which prevailed in America, then and now. *The Century Dictionary,* an American Dictionary of 1895, can be seen in facsimile form (as JPEG files or DjVu files) at www.century-dictionary.com . The following examples come from it: From the definition for "authorization": (quote)...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/3/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065185Wed, 22 Dec 2004 04:23:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065185don grovesQuotation marks, correct usage. I understand that the quotation mark ... She thought I was a "basket case." Which is correct? The first one. Since you didn't capitalize "basket", the quotation is not a sentence and therefore needs no period. dg (domain=ccwebster)http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/3/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065178Wed, 22 Dec 2004 04:16:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065178steve hayesQuotation marks, correct usage. I understand that the quotation mark goes outside the period as in the following example: I ... about the following? She thought I was a "basket case". She thought I was a "basket case." Which is correct? Toss a coin, and stick to what it tells you. Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop ukhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1065096Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:27:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065096skittWhat's this "preceding" (in your case "preceeding") stuff? Whatever Stan Brown meant it to be. Right. The question was for both of you. Mainly for Stan, actually. Skitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1065075Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:23:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065075steve macgregorWhat's this "preceding" (in your case "preceeding") stuff? Whatever Stan Brown meant it to be. Stevehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1065058Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:47:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065058skittAnother data point: schooled in Maryland in the 1950s and 1960s, I was taught that comma and period always go inside the preceding quote. As noted by others uptopic, you were misinformed. Comma and period go inside the preceeding quote in two instances: (1) They are part of the quoted material. (2) The quotation is done in America. What's this "preceding" (in your case "preceeding") stuff? Skitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065046Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:25:05 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065046steve macgregorI think computer manuals have influenced this, and are one reason many Americans now use what we were taught to ... Of course many folks reading that would type p-r-i-n-t-period; to prevent this instructional materials tend to use the other convention. This is as good a reason to drop the "American" rule and switch to the logical rule. Steve (( Ita erat quando hic adveni. ))http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1065045Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:23:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065045steve macgregorAnother data point: schooled in Maryland in the 1950s and 1960s, I was taught that comma and period always go inside the preceding quote. As noted by others uptopic, you were misinformed. Comma and period go inside the preceeding quote in two instances: (1) They are part of the quoted material. (2) The quotation is done in America. Steve (( Solum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum. ))http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065040Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:13:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065040stan brownI personally think the American rule is inconsistent and arbitrary and always apply the British rule. I think computer manuals have influenced this, and are one reason many Americans now use what we were taught to call the "British" style. Example: To tell the computer to print your results, type "print." Of course many folks reading that would type p-r-i-n-t-period; to prevent this instructional materials tend to use the other convention. Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ "Don't move, or I'll fill you full of (... pause ...) little yellow bolts of light." Farscape, first episodehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1065039Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:10:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065039stan brownFor my part, (born and raised in the US hinterlands many years ago. . .possibly before the influence of the ... ) I do recall being taught some kind of system that appears to resemble the one used in UK. Another data point: schooled in Maryland in the 1950s and 1960s, I was taught that comma and period always go inside the preceding quote. Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com/ "Don't move, or I'll fill you full of (... pause ...) little yellow bolts of light." Farscape, first episodehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1065038Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:08:48 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1065038stan brownShe thought I was a "basket case". She thought I was a "basket case." The BrEnglish rules, generally speaking, work by logic; the AmEnglish ones, again generally speaking, work by appearance. A few decades ago virtually every Briton would write it the first way and virtually every American would write it the second way.(*) As the cultures have interpenetrated, the distinction is much less clear cut than it used to be; but what remains true is that neither style is flat-out right or flat-out wrong. (*) Assuming for the sake of argument that the quotes belong there at all. I wouldn't use them; "basket case" doesn't seem slangy enough to require them IMHO. Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1064985Tue, 21 Dec 2004 19:48:35 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1064985gygesAccording to the Gregg Reference Manual (Ninth Edition) by William Sabin: The American style is that periods and commas go inside the closing quotation mark. Some writers in the United States follow the British style: Place the period outside when it punctuates the whole sentence, inside when it punctutates on the quoted material. Place the comma outside since it always punctuates the sentence not the quoted material. BUT 1) For question marks and exclamation points the American style followsthe British rule. a) At the end of a sentence, a question mark or an exclamation point goes inside the closing quotation mark whjen it applies only to the quoted material. b) At the end of a sentence, a question mark or an exclamation point goes...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/2/mmmpm/Post.htm#1064984Tue, 21 Dec 2004 19:43:52 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1064984michael nitabach$F25.14962@okepread07: She thought I was a "basket case". She thought I was a "basket case." Which is correct? This is a matter of typographic convention, not English usage. Mike Nitabachhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1064964Tue, 21 Dec 2004 18:11:45 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1064964pat durkinQuotation marks, correct usage. I understand that the quotation mark goes outside the period as in the following example: I ... about the following? She thought I was a "basket case". She thought I was a "basket case." Which is correct? I would write I thought, "This must be a good idea." because the quotation is a complete sentence, is part of a dialog, and object of the verb "thought". As discussed earlier (many's the time), there tends to be a usage pattern in UK of your first paired example (I would use it because the quotation is not a complete sentence, and is not part of a dialog). Your second paired example is apparently "mandated" in the Chicago Manual of Style, and is taught...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htm#1064950Tue, 21 Dec 2004 17:38:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1064950cybercypherLes Coover wrote on 22 Dec 2004: Quotation marks, correct usage. I understand that the quotation mark goes outside the period as in the following example: I thought, "This must me a good idea." But how about the following? She thought I was a "basket case". This is probably how it would be in British English and in my own international logical style. She thought I was a "basket case." According to most American English style books, this is always correct. Which is correct? Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarkCorrectUsage/mmmpm/post.htmTue, 21 Dec 2004 17:03:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1064943les cooverQuotation marks, correct usage. I understand that the quotation mark goes outside the period as in the following example: I thought, "This must me a good idea." But how about the following? She thought I was a "basket case". She thought I was a "basket case." Which is correct? Thanks, Leshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/S/2/mmjgm/Post.htm#1064055Sun, 19 Dec 2004 09:02:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1064055lars eighnerIn our last episode, (Email Removed), the lovely and talented Bob Cunningham broadcast on alt.usage.english: A poster has made the to me shocking confession that he doesn't understand how to use ">"s in following attributions. Am I alone in thinking they're all important, or are there some who agree with me. I find it very useful to have a newsreader and an editor which color the various levels of quotation and to have been fortunate enough to have figured out how to make the color schemes agree. The only thing that is the least bit tricky is that the attribution applies to the quotation which is one level deeper. Fidonet readers and gnus for emacs are capable of embedding initials or short names in with the...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotationMarksParentheses-Periods/mmwkc/post.htm#1063704Sat, 18 Dec 2004 13:06:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1063704lars eighnerIn our last episode, (Email Removed), the lovely and talented DOYLE60 broadcast on alt.usage.english: I'm not sure how to deal with a closing sentence period when translating dialog material from another language. For example: ... que atar los zapatos" ("I have to tie my shoes.") The Chicago Manual of Style is unclear on the point. Really? The standard American punctuation rule is that periods and commas go within the quotation marks regardless of whether they belong to the quoted material or not. But in this case, the Spanish utterance is a complete sentence in itself, so the period belongs with the quotation marks logically as well. Some allowance has been made for computer instruction manuals and the like where...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Genitive/2/mlvwd/Post.htm#1058677Tue, 07 Dec 2004 22:42:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1058677robert lieblichHi Which one is correct? "This book belongs to his ... brother's." Can you explain what rule applies to it, please? "This book is his brother's." is OK but it's not good usage. That, Sir Nobody, is an oxymoron. "OK" is what good usage is. If it's good usage, it's OK, and vice versa. "This book belongs to his brother's friend." is also OK. Which has nothing to do with the issue. There should be either a comma or no punctuation mark at all between "friend" and the quotation mark. Bob Lieblich Grumpy as everhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotesVsItalics/mlvrq/post.htm#1057483Sun, 05 Dec 2004 00:35:33 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1057483skittFirst, Standard English usage requires that you capitalize the first ... what you have between quotation marks is a complete sentence. Would one use punctuation after "ask"? ...please don't ask. "Why do they hate us?" Or would this be cleaner? ...please ... Or have I jumped the shark completely? Even though English is my native language it often seems foreign to me. I'd use a comma. Skitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotesVsItalics/mlvrq/post.htm#1057478Sun, 05 Dec 2004 00:19:26 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1057478slagIn the following paragraph would it be more appropriate to ... they hate us?" The answer should be plainly obvious. First, Standard English usage requires that you capitalize the first letter of "Why". This is a general rule for the first letter of a quoted sentence. Note that what you have between quotation marks is a complete sentence. Would one use punctuation after "ask"? ...please don't ask. "Why do they hate us?" Or would this be cleaner? ...please don't ask: "Why do they hate us?" Or have I jumped the shark completely? Even though English is my native language it often seems foreign to me. Rob Findlayhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/QuotesVsItalics/mlvrq/post.htm#1057471Sun, 05 Dec 2004 00:06:50 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1057471robert lieblichIn the following paragraph would it be more appropriate to put the phrase: (why they hate us?) In quotes or ... are blowing up American cities please don't ask "why do they hate us?" The answer should be plainly obvious. First, Standard English usage requires that you capitalize the first letter of "Why". This is a general rule for the first letter of a quoted sentence. Note that what you have between quotation marks is a complete sentence. Basically the question is how do you treat a commonly used phrase that doesn't have a specific source? There are various rules, but your situation is unusual because the authorless passage you want to emphasize is a quoted sentence not just a phrase. It is already, quite...http://www.englishforums.com/English/OffOf/4/mwkwg/Post.htm#1045211Sat, 06 Nov 2004 19:58:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1045211raymond s. wiseThe following comes from the *Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage,* ... are several brands of Standard English in the world (end quote) I do occasionally use "brand" in this way, but only, I think, with quotation marks. It can be quite useful, ... it in a faintly jocular mood. The usage is not recorded in OED1 or the 1933 Supplement. What's the history? *The Century Dictionary,* an American dictionary of 1895, has the following under the entry for the noun "brand": From www.century-dictionary.com (quote) *3.* A mark made by burning with a hot iron, as upon a cask, to indicate the manufacturer or the quality of the contents, etc., or upon an animal as a means of identification ; a trade- mark ; hence, a mark...http://www.englishforums.com/English/OffOf/4/mwkwg/Post.htm#1044891Sat, 06 Nov 2004 12:25:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1044891mike lyleThe following comes from the *Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage,* edited by Richard Allsopp, Oxford: Oxford University Press, (C) 1996. > (quote) there are several brands of Standard English in the world (end quote) I do occasionally use "brand" in this way, but only, I think, with quotation marks. It can be quite useful, though perhaps many would find it inappropriate in connotation, or even rather imprecise: I could make a reasonable argument against it. But I'm certain I haven't used it like that all my life; and I feel that I would at first have used it in a faintly jocular mood. The usage is not recorded in OED1 or the 1933 Supplement. What's the history? Mike.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HelpNeededWouldSomeoneLookPersonal-Statement/5/mhgkh/Post.htm#1039028Mon, 25 Oct 2004 18:07:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1039028hagrinas mivaliNo. She was explaining the difference between the "g.p.a." and ... but so's the "one in lower case separated by periods". Since we are being persnickety, I'll point out that the period in your last sentence is on the wrong side of the end quotation marks. That's an involved subject, and an evolving issue. It's not something that is either "right or wrong." Some writers wish to convey the distinction between what is being quoted and what is punctuating the sentence. I tend to stick with the usage that you have suggested. However, I agree that it can be a cause of ambiguity and I understand why some advocate an alternative style. Did you say "separated by periods?" The answer to that...http://www.englishforums.com/English/KerrysBratGaffe/5/mggvh/Post.htm#1034557Mon, 18 Oct 2004 05:35:43 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1034557r j valentine} } }> } }> } }> }> '"exaggeration"' } }> } Ach! Typical. } }> Of whom? Me? } } You bet your keister. As if you didn't know that in AmE single } quotation marks ALWAYS go inside double quotation marks, comme ça: } } "'exaggeration'" Not any more. The inner quotes are now always double quotes to accommodate possible apostrophes within the inner quote. Successive requotings use triple-minus-next-previous quotings, alternating outwards, so that no requoter presumes to or is required to change the actual content of the next previous quote. It's all been described right here in alt.usage.english, as any regular subscriber surely knows. In this case, the inner quotes requoted by me...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HalfQuote/mbznh/post.htm#1009135Mon, 27 Sep 2004 04:12:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1009135steve hayesCould somebody please tell me the correct usage of ' (half quote, I believe it is called)? What is the technical term for it? I usually use quotation marks to emphasize words in a sentence, is that wrong? Should I use half quotes instead? They are usually called "single quotation marks, and there are actually two of them: ` and ', though they don't usually display well in monospaced type. But neither single nor double quotation marks should be used for emphasis. You should use italics for that purpose, or underline if you are using a typewriter that can't do italics a typesetter will automatically set underlined text in italics. You would alternate single and double quotation marks for nested quotations - which you...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HalfQuote/mbznh/post.htm#1009134Mon, 27 Sep 2004 04:12:05 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1009134steve hayesJack wrote on 26 Sep 2004: Could somebody please tell me the correct usage of ' ... sentence, is that wrong? Should I use half quotes instead? It's called an "apostrophe" in American English, but it's also called a "single quotation mark" and is used as the primary form of quotation mark in British English. In American English, the double quotation mark, " , is the primary symbol. As Fowler noted, there is no general rule in the matter, but one can only hope that the more sensible practice of using the single quotation mark as the primary form would prevail. In my own writing, however, I follow the less sensible practice. Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HalfQuote/mbznh/post.htm#1008909Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:10:21 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1008909don phillipsonCould somebody please tell me the correct usage of ' (half quote, I believe it is called)? What is the technical term for it? I usually use quotation marks to emphasize words in a sentence, is that wrong? Should This topic is discussed in style books, e.g. Chicago Manual of Style. It is generally a bad idea to use quotation marks for emphasis. The best prose chooses emphatic words that need no typographical marking: if such is needed, italics or boldface serve the purpose and do not suggest that matter is being quoted, the usual function of quotation marks. Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)http://www.englishforums.com/English/HalfQuote/mbznh/post.htm#1008853Sun, 26 Sep 2004 13:16:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1008853cybercypherJack wrote on 26 Sep 2004: Could somebody please tell me the correct usage of ' (half quote, I believe it is called)? What is the technical term for it? I usually use quotation marks to emphasize words in a sentence, is that wrong? Should I use half quotes instead? It's called an "apostrophe" in American English, but it's also called a "single quotation mark" and is used as the primary form of quotation mark in British English. In American English, the double quotation mark, " , is the primary symbol. Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HalfQuote/mbznh/post.htmSun, 26 Sep 2004 12:23:07 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1008838jackCould somebody please tell me the correct usage of ' (half quote, I believe it is called)? What is the technical term for it? I usually use quotation marks to emphasize words in a sentence, is that wrong? Should I use half quotes instead? Thanks for the help, everybody. Jackhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/ImpliedBiasThroughQuotationMarks/2/mrdvj/Post.htm#1003489Sun, 12 Sep 2004 23:57:23 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1003489jess askinThe reporter had a C- average in journalism school and ... (ObAUE: in Am usage, have I placed the period correctly?) No, it goes at the very end of the sentence. WTF is with the "ObAUE"? As if this thread was ... of a period ON-TOPIC, but the discussion of when to use quotation marks or the word "alleged" OFF-topic? You crazy! Oh, please forgive me.