Punctuation within and without quotation marks

by compound complex 73 Replies latest social physical

• 

  compound complex

  In terms of self-assessment, Smith made various pronouncements on what he considered his best work. These included the six stories in [The] Double Shadow (i.e., "The Voyage of King Euvoran," "The Maze of the Enchanter, " "The Double Shadow," "A Night in Malnéant," "The Devotee of Evil" and "The Willow Landscape") and the individual stories "The Eternal World" and "The City of the Singing Flame." He named "The Uncharted Isle" as the best "or at least favorite" of his "straight science fiction" stories. Toward the end of his life, Smith considered his "masterpiece" to be the blank verse play, "The Dead Will Cuckold You" (1951, 1956) set in Zothique, one of his last completed works. Of his Zothique story cycle taken as a whole, Smith said it was "in no wise inferior to Dunsany and Cabell." Regarding his poetry -- which he took the most seriously of all his creative work -- Smith felt (writing in 1936) that he had produced his best work in the years 1913-23.

  http://alangullette.com/lit/smith/sorcerer.htm

  Note: Book titles are italicized -- The Double Shadow -- whereas, individual stories or poems -- "The City of the Singing Flame" -- are placed within quotation marks.
  
  
• 

  compound complex

  So whence the popular anxiety? This is where a less than benign explanation comes in. Someone, somewhere, must be making decisions about "correct English" for the rest of us. Who? There is no English Language Academy. The legislators of "correct English," in fact, are an informal network of copy editors, dictionary usage panelists, style manual writers, English teachers, essayists and pundits.Their authority, they claim, comes from their dedication to carrying out standards that maximize the language's clarity, logic, consistency, precision, stability and expressive range. William Safire, who writes the weekly column "On Language" for the New York Times Magazine, calls himself a "language maven," from the Yiddish word meaning expert, and this gives us a convenient label for the entire group.

  https://newrepublic.com/article/77732/grammar-puss-steven-pinker-language-william-safire

  
  
• 

  compound complex

  What's the problem? The concern seems to be that fuzzy-minded speakers are eroding the distinction between nouns and verbs. But once again, the person on the street is not getting any respect. A simple quirk of everyday usage shows why the accusation is untrue. Take the baseball term "to fly out," a verb that comes from the noun "pop fly." The past form is "flied," not "flew" and "flown"; no mere mortal has ever flown out to center field. Similarly, in using the verb-from-noun "to ring the city" (form a ring around), people say "ringed," not "rang." -- ibid.
  
• 

  jp1692

  Hi CoCo!

  I saw this article and thought of you and some of our recent conversations:

  • 10 grammar rules you can forget: how to stop worrying and write proper
    

  Of course it's by a British writer and language geek, but he does discuss some of the differences between American and British English, both with formal and informal writing.

  Enjoy!

  jp
  
• 

  compound complex

  Thanks, jp!

  Yes -- vive la difference!

  Just within the last 24 hours (go figure!) I've relented and opened my Nazi Grammarian's heart and mind to new and exciting literary experiences! Given the above I posted, I am amazed how consistent American writing is regarding commas and periods within the close of quotation marks.

  There's prescriptive and there's descriptive . . .

  Gratefully.
• 

  jp1692

  There IS prescriptive and descriptive ways of viewing grammar ... and politics and religion too, I suppose!

  I'm definitely a descriptivist.

  Here's another article I think you'll enjoy by one of my favorite language mavens, Harvard professor of psychology and linguist, Steven Pinker:

  • Many of the alleged rules of writing are actually superstitions

  For your edification I have excerpted a juicy tidbit:

  Though bad writing has always been with us, the rules of correct usage are the smallest part of the problem. Any competent copy editor can turn a passage that is turgid, opaque, and filled with grammatical errors into a passage that is turgid, opaque, and free of grammatical errors. Rules of usage are well worth mastering, but they pale in importance behind principles of clarity, style, coherence, and consideration for the reader.
• 

  faithnomore

  Interesting study about "grammar nazi's"...

  http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0149885#ack

  Introverts more concerned about grammar whereas extroverts less concerned about grammar. Maybe they are more interested in the conversation and interaction?
• 

  compound complex

  Thank you, jp and faithnomore:

  It looks like as if my weekend will have me relearning a few things, particularly with regard to the editing jobs that lie before me, one a 700-page hard copy MS, the author of which is deceased; I have nowhere to send my queries.

  Excellent point about removing "errors" yet retaining a turgid, opaque text. I'm all for clarity and reader-friendliness.
• 

  faithnomore

  I think in terms of editing for a living one would want to have proper grammar.

  In terms of social media etc who cares, just enjoy the conversation:).
• 

  compound complex

  In terms of social media etc who cares, just enjoy the conversation:). -- faithnomore

  Absolutely!

  Thanks.