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Homerfarmsby Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

CONCATENATED QUOTATIONS

In Britain, the following is correct, I'm told. Observe the placement of the first comma.
'That', he said, 'is nonsense.'

The comma goes outside the closing quote - IF the concatenated quote wouldn't contain it. (In other words, he said 'That is nonsense', not 'That, is nonsense'.)

'I am disappointed', she said, 'at the way Bob treated her.'
Comma OUTSIDE the quote in 'disappointed' because the sentence wouldn't be 'I am disappointed[,] at the way Bob treated her.'

'I will not tolerate', he said, 'any more tomfoolery and skullduggery.'
Comma OUTSIDE for the same reason. We wouldn't write: 'I will not tolerate[,] any more tomfoolery or skullduggery.'

'I am going to the mall', he said, 'when she comes home from work.'
Again, comma OUTSIDE for the same reason.

NOTE the position of the punctuation in the following:
‘This is', he said, ‘a very interesting book, which you should read.'

(In other words, he said 'This is a very interesting book, which you should read', not 'This is, a very interesting book, which you should read'.

But: This is a very interesting book,' he said, ‘which you should read.'
The comma is INSIDE the quote mark - before ‘he said' -
because it does in fact form part of the quoted sentence.

Am I correct with all examples? British punctuation can be difficult at times.
  
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