Multiple quotations in a single paragraph?

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Hi everyone,I'm having some rather heated discussions with a colleague about 'correct' style and punctuation in a magazine I do. Primarily where the punctuation of multiple quotations in a single paragraph is concerned.I'm determined to use 'logical punctuation', where my colleague is insistent that it's incorrect and we must use 'conventional punctuation' (terms I read on another website, so I'm not certain if these are the names the two styles are generally called). All of which is complicated by the fact that we are in Australia, and punctuation here is a bit of a hybrid between the British and American styles.Here's an example of the 'logical' style I'm applying:One of the biggest benefits of the new gates is their ability to service the Airbus A380s, which require aerobridges for both their upper and lower decks. RATE Aerobridges were contracted to provide the aerobridges to Project Gates. “The specification called for bridges to serve everything from 737s up to A380s.” explains RATE’s Peter Reidy, “So we provided dual-bridge gates, which allow you to service either both decks of an A380 or two smaller single-deck planes”. The paragraph contains three sentences, and the third sentence contains two separate quotes from the same person. Because the two quotations are separate sentences in their own right, I've included a full stop at the end of the first one to make that distinction clear.My colleague insists that this is incorrect because she believes that a full stop inside the quotation denotes the end of sentence, and therefore there should either be a new sentence entirely, or the full stop should be changed to a comma so that the remainder of the sentence (including the second quotation) can be concluded.My argument is that the punctation inside a quotation only applies to that quotation, and therefore a full stop inside a quotation doesn't signal the end of the sentence within which that quotation sits, merely the separation between that quote and the next.If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on this that they'd care to share, they'd be much appreciated.Cheers,MarkEndFragment&gt;

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Hello Mark. Sorry to say that, whatever the rationale, the full stop cannot come before the 'says' clause. As it stands, I'd do this (since quoted speech has no intrinsic punctuation anyway)-- and note the placement of the final full stop:

"The specification called for bridges to serve everything from 737s up to A380s," explains RATE’s Peter Reidy, “so we provided dual-bridge gates, which allow you to service either both decks of an A380 or two smaller single-deck planes."

If that makes you uncomfortable, then you can always recast:

RATE's Peter Hardy explains, "The specification called for bridges to serve everything from 737s up to A380s. So we provided dual-bridge gates, which allow you to service either both decks of an A380 or two smaller single-deck planes."

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks for the clarification Mister Micawber, is there a specific reason why ending the first quotation with a full stop is incorrect?

I feel a bit iffy about ending the first quote with a comma and beginning the second without a capitalisation because they are direct quotes, and using the comma implies that they part of the sentence spoken by the interviewee, which isn't the case.

Is there a better way to approach situations like this in future? Or do I just have to bite the bullet and make the quotations appear to be directly linked?

Thanks again for the help, it's much appreciated.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Thanks for the clarification Mister Micawber, is there a specific reason why ending the first quotation with a full stop is incorrect?-- Full stops cannot appear mid-sentence.

I feel a bit iffy about ending the first quote with a comma and beginning the second without a capitalisation because they are direct quotes, and using the comma implies that they part of the sentence spoken by the interviewee, which isn't the case.-- How do you know where the interviewee ended his sentence? There is no punctuation in spoken English. In any case, the difference is not worth being iffy about: it is a most trivial variation.

Is there a better way to approach situations like this in future?-- Yes: be a little more liberal in your writing.

Or do I just have to bite the bullet and make the quotations appear to be directly linked?-- If that's all you can manage, then that's what you must do.

Multiple quotations in a single paragraph?

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Thanks for the clarification Mister Micawber, is there a specific reason why ending the first quotation with a full stop is incorrect?

I feel a bit iffy about ending the first quote with a comma and beginning the second without a capitalisation because they are direct quotes, and using the comma implies that they part of the sentence spoken by the interviewee, which isn't the

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