quote:Originally posted by The Ulcer Mongoose: Why do English authors use a single quote to denote dialogue, whereas the authors from the Americas use double quotes? Aside from our general stupidity, that is.
We do?
I'm a Brit and I always use double quotes for the start and end of speech, and single for quotes either within or outside the speech. The double always looks best IMHO, single just looks shite.
Oh yeah - and we were always taught to use double at school too. So which Brit's use single?
[ June 04, 2002, 14:03: Message edited by: akb1979 ]
-------------------- If you cant convince them, confuse them.
Registered: Apr 2001
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You're actually trusting the judgement of his publisher. Or his typesetter. ("Fuck!" What a boring job!)
Like I said, I've noticed the single-quote-only thing only in older British stuff.
[ June 04, 2002, 14:50: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
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Registered: Mar 1999
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Well, not that old. I spent some time this year reading some early novels by Iain Banks (who is Scottish) published in, oh, 84-86, say? And those used single quotes normally.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Women, I've discovered are incredibly hard to trust. They do lie to you, so don't just take everything she says at face value. If you're suspcious, look into her. I'm just replying to the first post, I don't have time to read 6 pages.
-------------------- It takes 42 muscles in your face to frown. It only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and smack someone upside the head.
Registered: Jan 2000
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Uh...that doesn't sound like an entirely healthy attitude.
In my experience, gender has nothing to do with trustworthiness, or approachability for that matter. The fault lies not in our stars, as it were.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Well everyone knows men can't be trusted with anything.
-------------------- It takes 42 muscles in your face to frown. It only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and smack someone upside the head.
Registered: Jan 2000
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There is no such thing. To quote Shakespear, we are the most boring fuckers in the world.
And death to all women, or something.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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I do not know who Shakespear is. Maybe he is the writer of the spelling errors! You made an attempt to write Shakespeare but wrote Shakespear instead! Notice the difference! Limey! YOU SUCK SO MUCH ASS!
Also, my genitalia is/are very small.
[ June 04, 2002, 19:07: Message edited by: The Ulcer Mongoose ]
Registered: Oct 1999
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Actually, Shakespeare himself signed his name w/ multiple different spellings. If he were around today, I don't doubt he'd be online, typing stuff like "2 b or not 2 b taht is teh question, wether t'is nobler in the mind 2 suffer teh slign s and arrrows of outrajuss (sp???) fortun" and so on...
Registered: Mar 1999
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