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SIODAI
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A reviewer has included the following in his review of my "Waking the Dragon". 'Like me you 'quote' rather than "quote" but I have copped a bit of criticism for using single apostrophe rather than double speech marks so one to think about.' As far as I'm aware, it's only in the USA that double speech marks are preferred. I've never been critiqued for this before. In future do I have to add to the top of my excerpt along with "Spelling is UK English" another NB "single speech marks are accepted in the UK"?
Waking the Dragon
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fatimati
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Quote: SIODAI, Tuesday, 14 Jun 2011 21:08A reviewer has included the following in his review of my "Waking the Dragon". 'Like me you 'quote' rather than "quote" but I have copped a bit of criticism for using single apostrophe rather than double speech marks so one to think about.' As far as I'm aware, it's only in the USA that double speech marks are preferred. I've never been critiqued for this before. In future do I have to add to the top of my excerpt along with "Spelling is UK English" another NB "single speech marks are accepted in the UK"? Both are correct...I think, don't you?
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sewise
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The Open University Advanced Creative Writing course text has this to say:
For TMA's - the creative writing elements, commentaries and critiques - use the standard professional text layout detailed below. Besides helping you to produce readable, uncluttered manuscripts, this will get you in the habit of presenting your work as required by publishers.
Presentation of dialogue (in prose, fiction or life writing)
The general rule is that each persons speech should begin a new paragraph - indented of course. Use single quotation marks for all speech and quoted words within your text. Use double quotes only when they occur within another pair. For example:
'I can't explain it,' she said. I've just gone off you.' 'She wouldn't give me any explanation whatsoever,' Stephen said. 'Just that she's "gone off" me.'
Hope this helps.
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SIODAI
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Thanks, Sewise, that's exactly how I write dialogue. Which is why I was surprised at the critique made. Do you think I need to put NB - sinqle speech marks for dialogue are recommended by the Open University to avoid any further problems?
Waking the Dragon
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mrflint
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How strange. I was always taught the exact opposite of the OU guidelines, and told that single quotes were the Americanisation - and certainly a brief glance through my bookshelf seems to bear that out.
I'd emphasise that I was also taught both were methods were acceptable, as long as they were consistent throughout a piece.
That said, I think that:
'She wouldn't give me any explanation whatsoever,' Stephen said. 'Just that she's "gone off" me.'
looks much messier than:
"She wouldn't give me any explanation whatsoever," Stephen said. "Just that she's 'gone off' me."
But at the end of the day, I do think it's personal choice not a 'rule'. (Or should that be "rule"?!)
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caz2108
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Quote: SIODAI, Tuesday, 14 Jun 2011 21:08A reviewer has included the following in his review of my "Waking the Dragon". 'Like me you 'quote' rather than "quote" but I have copped a bit of criticism for using single apostrophe rather than double speech marks so one to think about.' As far as I'm aware, it's only in the USA that double speech marks are preferred. I've never been critiqued for this before. In future do I have to add to the top of my excerpt along with "Spelling is UK English" another NB "single speech marks are accepted in the UK"? I don't think it matters as long as you keep it the same throughout, but a quick look at a few books on my shelf seem to be all using single speech marks, and that's UK and US authors. My eight yr old daughter is taught to use double in school, though. Yet another grey area.... Caz
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unclearthur
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Quote: mrflint, Wednesday, 15 Jun 2011 09:15How strange. I was always taught the exact opposite of the OU guidelines, and told that single quotes were the Americanisation - and certainly a brief glance through my bookshelf seems to bear that out. I'd emphasise that I was also taught both were methods were acceptable, as long as they were consistent throughout a piece. That said, I think that: 'She wouldn't give me any explanation whatsoever,' Stephen said. 'Just that she's "gone off" me.' looks much messier than: "She wouldn't give me any explanation whatsoever," Stephen said. "Just that she's 'gone off' me." But at the end of the day, I do think it's personal choice not a 'rule'. (Or should that be "rule"?!) I'd guess single quotation marks for speech is an American idiom, whatever the OU says. I, too was always taught the opposite and stick to that. Consistency is definitely the key. http://cavalrytales.wordpress.com
www.cavalrytales.co.uk'The battle that never ends is the battle of belief against disbelief'
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RoseRed
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I've just looked in a few of my reference books. Collins Good Writing Guide says it's up to yourself, Guardian Style Guide says double quotes, and Chambers Good Writing Guide says single quotes in the UK and double in the States, with quotes within quotes being the opposite in each case.
Interestingly in view of the Guardian's method, its Alan Rusbridger says that Harold Evans' Essential English has for generations been the bible of any aspiring journalist, yet Evans' Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers uses single quotes. I couldn't find it in Strunk & White but imagine that, being American, it would go with double quotes.
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Chuck Buckner
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Publishers in the US use " double quotations." 'Single' for quotes within a quote. That's been the standard for years. I know there have been exceptions, usually because of author preference.
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katarina66
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I was told by a published author that publishers in the UK prefer single quotes. I have also been criticized for spelling by US reviewers. Don't they know we had the language first - it was them who changed it!
This post was last edited by katarina66, 15 Jun 2011, 17:06
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