Contact the Grammar Anarchist with your questions about grammar and language at grammaranarchist@gmail.com
Get a personal reply at
Val@valdumond.com


Saturday, December 15, 2012

Quote-Contents-Unquote

When do you use quotation marks, how many, and where? Forget the “rules” you were fed in school. Many options are available to suit the inventive writer.

Standard/Normal/Ho-hum maybe:
Double quote-dialog-double unquote — “What do you mean, choice?” you ask. (New paragraph) “You have options,” I say.

Standard/Normal/Ho-hum quote within a quote“Someone will tell you ‘Listen to me,’ and you have to listen.’’

Standard/Normal/Ho-hum quote that is not dialogThe word you want is “choice”. (punctuation outside the mark) 

British/Normal/Ho-hum:
Single quote-dialog-single unquote — ‘You Brits do it this way.’ (New paragraph) ‘Yes. Neah, neah, neah, U.S.’

Creative:
Eliminate quotation marks — What do you mean, choice? I'm suggesting options to you.

Creative:
(You decide how to handle dialog quotations. I’m waiting to hear your ideas.)


Friday, December 7, 2012

With E or Without

How do you spell — acknowledg ment? or judg ment? Do you stick an E in there to make the words: acknowledgement and judgement?

Uh-uh! That’s a dead giveaway that you’re with “them” (the Brits).

If you’re a true U.S.-er,  omit the E. Otherwise the Grammar Anarchist will be after you.