tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post5165541166035896236..comments2020-08-22T09:23:05.149-07:00Comments on Ruminations of a Remembrancer: Ye Olde Grammarian, No. 3: Pesky Punctuation ProblemsLorinda J Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985567506994751475noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-27667907826234101562013-03-24T14:15:34.078-07:002013-03-24T14:15:34.078-07:00Of course, the quote marks are packed so tightly t...Of course, the quote marks are packed so tightly together in these examples that nobody can tell a double from a single one! I'm tempted to follow James Joyce, dispense with the comma before a quote mark and replace the open quote mark with a ~ Or perhaps we could revert to medieval usage and use some curious mark of our own invention¿John Yeomanhttp://www.writers-village.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-31962010066332186592013-03-24T13:59:22.791-07:002013-03-24T13:59:22.791-07:00Yes, that nested quote is knotty, isn't it? B...Yes, that nested quote is knotty, isn't it? But you still wouldn't duplicate the period. One does it. How about this (using American style quotes)? "I said, 'Did he say "That's right,"' or did she tell me,'He said,"That's right"'?"<br />Is anywhere close to right? LOL<br />By the way, your 'Ouch!' makes it clear that it's "Ouch" that is the exclamation. If the whole sentence were the exclamation, then it would be 'Ouch'!Lorinda J Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16985567506994751475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-4904964377613725812013-03-24T13:21:51.590-07:002013-03-24T13:21:51.590-07:00Perhaps the best test of correct usage is when you...Perhaps the best test of correct usage is when you read something and instinctively go 'Ouch!' But you're not sure why. Of course, we can have real fun with nested quotes: "He said: '"That's right," she told me.'" Logically, one should put the full stop at the very end of that sentence, but it wouldn't feel right.John Yeomanhttp://www.writers-village.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-75412515066476359292013-01-10T13:07:04.923-08:002013-01-10T13:07:04.923-08:00Glad it's proving useful! You can access my e...Glad it's proving useful! You can access my earlier Olde Grammarian posts by clicking on "Grammar" in the labels in the sidebar. The first one dealt with dangling participial and prepositional phrases and the second with correct usage of pronoun cases.Lorinda J Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16985567506994751475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-71318533680660756442013-01-10T12:36:43.100-08:002013-01-10T12:36:43.100-08:00I really enjoyed how clear and understanding this ...I really enjoyed how clear and understanding this is. This is a common issue that comes up in my writing and it's comforting to have something to fall back on.<br />So thanks! I'll keep and eye out for more grammar posts!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-43930645270426311202013-01-06T05:41:06.099-08:002013-01-06T05:41:06.099-08:00Again, I'm glad some of the grammar stuff is p...Again, I'm glad some of the grammar stuff is proving useful! I've been surprised lately when I see well educated people putting the period outside the quotation mark. The colon and semicolon get less use, but occasionally the semicolon placement in particular does come into question.<br /><br />Lorinda J Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16985567506994751475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-52746860153534150292013-01-05T17:16:33.161-08:002013-01-05T17:16:33.161-08:00I liked this post! Now I know I've been doing ...I liked this post! Now I know I've been doing it right all along (but I don't do the : or ; with quotes, wasn't familiar with that one).<br /><br />Thanks, Lorinda!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-60146108477566497682013-01-04T06:17:12.474-08:002013-01-04T06:17:12.474-08:00Thanks, Corinne, I'm glad somebody is getting ...Thanks, Corinne, I'm glad somebody is getting some benefit from my grammar posts! This one struck me as becoming more and more confusing as I continued to write it!Lorinda J Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16985567506994751475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843833519373801339.post-14723081888571419382013-01-04T06:02:03.755-08:002013-01-04T06:02:03.755-08:00Thank you so much for this, Lorinda. I'm bookm...Thank you so much for this, Lorinda. I'm bookmarking it for future use. Corinne Rodrigueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11142098428026084994noreply@blogger.com