Quotation marks

[mulberryrd]

I have noticed in some of my British novels the use of single 'quotation marks' to denote speaking by a character in the story. In the states we always use double "quotation marks". Is this the way you are taught in school in the UK ? Just curious.

[sophie_1003]

I was always taught to use " for speech, but I think it's just a matter of preference. I prefer to use " for speech and ' if it's a figure of speech, or an informal word etc in e.g.)a piece of college coursework.

[Ethel]

Could you give an example of such a book, mulberryd?

Here in the UK it is always " ..." , the double quotation mark, for direct speech.

[JamesEverton]

From the Penguin Writer's Manual:

There is no difference in meaning or use between single quotation marks or double ones. The most important thing is to choose a system and adhere to it consistently. Most British book publishers prefer the use of single quotes, reserving the use of double quotes for quotations within quotations... In the US double quotes are used as the primary level and single quotes are used for the secondary level.

[Gnisy]

Single for UK. Double for US, cos they call it inverted commas there. Then again, everyone's gotten it mixed up now so no one will dare say you are wrong or right for using either.

But in order to avoid confusion if you are using quotation marks inside quotation marks then alternate between single and double, don't use both in the same sentence. Then, be consistent throughout your whole write-up.

Punctuation is used solely to make the meaning clearer to the reader. it shouldn't be a source of headaches. Have fun.

[jno]

it's up to the preference of the individual publisher. The usual requirement is just to be consistent throughout - single quotes for everything, or double. (So I'm disagreeing with Sophie here.) The exception is quotes within quotes, which will be the opposite of whatever you usually use. "I love watching 'Big Brother'," she said.

[joko]

i have noticed this too - look through any number of english books and you will see single ' in most of them.

[saxy_jag]

They both mean the same. Different publishers have different requirements, whether in the UK or the USA. When preparing a manuscript for submission to a British publisher/agent, it's usual to use double, but it's more important to be consistent.

Remember, though, that quoted speech within speech uses the 'other' one to what you'd normally use, eg:

"My mother always used to say 'waste not, want not,'" said Gran.

[luckyeight]

I would agree with the quotatation James Everton uses above... In the UK it is standard practise to use single quotation marks to denote direct speech as you noticed Mulberry..