When “yes” and “no” are being used generically, there are no quotes. That is, when they are being used to refer to a positive or negative answer, they are not quoted. Attorneys are generally looking for a generic response and are not requiring that those words and only those words be used. When the “yes” and “no” are mixed in …
Punctuation Precision
Good morning. Just a reminder that Punctuation Precision begins this Saturday. This is your chance to “pull it all together.” In the 20 hours we will cover all the marks of punctuation and show how each fits into the big picture. There will be time to cover those crazy things that seem unique to reporting transcripts. If you need CEUs …
This Is How It Should Look…
Q No one saw you; is that correct? A No. Q “No,” it’s not correct? Or, “No,” no one saw you? Happy punctuating! Margie
Jim Barker on Whether or Not to Quote
Jim Barker, September of 2014, was asked this question: “Do you quote when you can’t see the quoted material and you don’t know if they really read it verbatim?” Jim’s response: “Absolutely. And why is that? Because, when a reporter quotes a speaker who is reading from a document, the reporter is not quoting the words in the ‘document’; the …
More on Quotes
…Did he say things like “I’m not going to keep it ” or “I want to sell it ” or “I want to lease it out”? Or what did he tell you? No comma after “like” because it is a preposition and the sentences are the objects of the preposition. No commas after the sentences as they are objects of …
Single Quotes
No matter what you might see in the headline of a major newspaper or on the Internet, it is NEVER correct to use single quotes alone. Single quotes always occur inside of double quotes. Happy punctuating! Margie
More on Quotes
…He said, “I have never seen him in my life.” …She said, “You may not access those files.” …He said something like “I have never seen him in my life.” …She said something to the effect of “You may not access those files.” When the quote follows words that are not lead-in words, there is no comma before the quote. …
Another Quote Issue
When a person repeats only a part of the original statement, quote only the part that was in the original. …to wait for a later to be discovered piece of evidence. Object to the foundation for that “later to be discovered” something… Happy punctuating. Margie
The Dash — Inside or Outside Quotes?
There is no rule that the dash must be inside or outside the quotes. Either way works. …He was always saying, “You have to be here on — ” he was always preaching to us about everything. In this scenario, the reasoning is that the dash is inside because it is the quote that is being interrupted. …He was always …
A Comma Before the Quote
I am BACK!! I hope your holidays were glorious. Mine were lovely even though I was really down and out sick with a throat “thing.” I think that, after almost three weeks, I am finally getting better. Can you say “froggy”? The question of whether to put a comma before quotes when quoting from a document came up on Facebook. …