adler
New member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2015
- Member Type
- Academic
- Native Language
- American English
- Home Country
- United States
- Current Location
- United States
I’m writing a fictional story, and came up with a grammar issue. I’m not sure if this is the right place to post it, but I’m hoping that someone can help me out.
Basically, I am writing a quote within a quote. I know that the general rule (American English) is that the person speaking goes in double quotes, and that the inside quotes are single quotes.
However, I’m not sure if it works that way when the character is quoting a whole conversation. I wrote it out below- I’m not sure if I did it right, or if its easy to follow. But if anyone can give me advice on how to make it clear, I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Nick looked around the room before he continued speaking.
“‘Kyle,’ I said. But I stopped, at a loss of words.
“Kyle looked down at his daughter’s still form. ‘It hurts,’ he said. ‘It hurts so much.’
“’I know,’ I whispered. ‘Now you know.’
“Kyle whimpered. ‘Know?’
“I nodded my head, and sighed. ‘You know what you have done to thousands of people.’
““Kyle shook his head. 'What have I done? They killed my daughter!'
“I gripped his shoulder. 'And you killed theirs.' Understanding dawned on the bereaved father’s face. ‘You killed parents, children, and siblings,’ I continued. ‘You are the one who scared the people you then murdered. Look at her,’ I said, pointing to the dead child. “She was awake. She was terrified. You have done that.”
“’Don’t…’ Kyle croaked, his eyes wide, staring down at his daughter.
“’You were the cause of the loss their families had to suffer,’ I continued. ‘Their children had to grow up without a parent. Their siblings missed their brother or sister. Aaron will probably not even remember his sister.’
“’No…’
“’You have caused other parents to fell what you are now feeling. Thousands of people, Kyle. On your head.’
“’No!’ Kyle yelled. ‘Stop! I can’t… I already did it! What can I do about it now? It’s too late now.’
“’You can make a promise, Kyle, to never do it again.’
“’I do,’ said Kyle, looking down at his daughter. ‘I will never have anyone killed again.’
“’Not good enough,’ I said, harshly. ‘In a week you will forget.’
“’I won’t,’ said Kyle. ‘I’ll never…’ he stopped and closed his eyes. He picked up his daughter’s still body and held her to his chest, not caring that he was getting blood all over himself.
“’I swear,’ he said, ‘on Alice,’ he stopped for a moment. ‘I swear on Alice’s grave,’ he said again. ‘That no one will ever feel this way again. Not if I have anything to say about it.’”
“And as far as I know," Nick said, “He hasn't broken that sacred promise. Until now.”
Nick stopped talking. Cherry felt horrified. She had never known that about her father. Never suspected…
Basically, I am writing a quote within a quote. I know that the general rule (American English) is that the person speaking goes in double quotes, and that the inside quotes are single quotes.
However, I’m not sure if it works that way when the character is quoting a whole conversation. I wrote it out below- I’m not sure if I did it right, or if its easy to follow. But if anyone can give me advice on how to make it clear, I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Nick looked around the room before he continued speaking.
“‘Kyle,’ I said. But I stopped, at a loss of words.
“Kyle looked down at his daughter’s still form. ‘It hurts,’ he said. ‘It hurts so much.’
“’I know,’ I whispered. ‘Now you know.’
“Kyle whimpered. ‘Know?’
“I nodded my head, and sighed. ‘You know what you have done to thousands of people.’
““Kyle shook his head. 'What have I done? They killed my daughter!'
“I gripped his shoulder. 'And you killed theirs.' Understanding dawned on the bereaved father’s face. ‘You killed parents, children, and siblings,’ I continued. ‘You are the one who scared the people you then murdered. Look at her,’ I said, pointing to the dead child. “She was awake. She was terrified. You have done that.”
“’Don’t…’ Kyle croaked, his eyes wide, staring down at his daughter.
“’You were the cause of the loss their families had to suffer,’ I continued. ‘Their children had to grow up without a parent. Their siblings missed their brother or sister. Aaron will probably not even remember his sister.’
“’No…’
“’You have caused other parents to fell what you are now feeling. Thousands of people, Kyle. On your head.’
“’No!’ Kyle yelled. ‘Stop! I can’t… I already did it! What can I do about it now? It’s too late now.’
“’You can make a promise, Kyle, to never do it again.’
“’I do,’ said Kyle, looking down at his daughter. ‘I will never have anyone killed again.’
“’Not good enough,’ I said, harshly. ‘In a week you will forget.’
“’I won’t,’ said Kyle. ‘I’ll never…’ he stopped and closed his eyes. He picked up his daughter’s still body and held her to his chest, not caring that he was getting blood all over himself.
“’I swear,’ he said, ‘on Alice,’ he stopped for a moment. ‘I swear on Alice’s grave,’ he said again. ‘That no one will ever feel this way again. Not if I have anything to say about it.’”
“And as far as I know," Nick said, “He hasn't broken that sacred promise. Until now.”
Nick stopped talking. Cherry felt horrified. She had never known that about her father. Never suspected…