Is the syntax correct?

[Kristine May]

[FONT=&quot]Celeste just smiled and said, ‘We’ll see’.[/FONT]

 

[5jj]

It's fine.

 

[Coolfootluke]

[FONT=&quot]Celeste just smiled and said, ‘We’ll see’.[/FONT]

I am not a teacher.

In American English (which is what I thought they used in the Philippines), those should be double quotes. In any English, the period (full stop) goes inside the quotes, because it belongs to the sentence inside them:

Celeste just smiled and said, "We’ll see."

 

[5jj]

In any English, the period (full stop) goes inside the quotes, because it belongs to the sentence inside them:

Celeste just smiled and said, "We’ll see."

It is outside the quotes, because it marks the end of the whole sentence. That's BrE practice.

 

[bhaisahab]

I am not a teacher.

In American English (which is what I thought they used in the Philippines), those should be double quotes. In any English, the period (full stop) goes inside the quotes, because it belongs to the sentence inside them:

Celeste just smiled and said, "We’ll see."

I would put the full stop outside the quotation marks because "We'll see" is part of the sentence, not a sentence on its own.

 

[bhaisahab]

Too late.;-)

 

[5jj]

Too late.;-)

Next time.

 

[Coolfootluke]

It is outside the quotes, because it marks the end of the whole sentence. That's BrE practice.

I am not a teacher.

"We'll see" is a complete sentence in quoted speech, and if it had been 'We'll see,' she said, the comma would go inside in both englishes. I want to believe you, but I think I would have remembered something so strange as a period belonging to a quoted sentence floating all alone out at the end like that.

 

[bhaisahab]

I am not a teacher.

"We'll see" is a complete sentence in quoted speech, and if it had been 'We'll see,' she said, the comma would go inside in both Englishes. I want to believe you, but I think I would have remembered something so strange as a period belonging to a quoted sentence floating all alone out at the end like that.

Are you saying then, that what precedes the quotes is a complete sentence?

 

[Coolfootluke]

Are you saying then, that what precedes the quotes is a complete sentence?

I am not a teacher.

No, I am saying that what is inside the quotes is a complete sentence, and the entire group of words is also a complete sentence. You can only have one mark at the end, and the stop inside the quotes belonging to the quoted sentence takes precedence.

 

[bhaisahab]

We'll agree to differ on that then.;-)

 

[Coolfootluke]

We'll agree to differ on that then.;-)

I am not a teacher.

I never agree to differ (I never use smileys, either). Anyway, there is a right way, and I want to know what it is.

 

[5jj]

I am not a teacher.

I never agree to differ (I never use smileys, either). Anyway, there is a right way, and I want to know what it is.

There isn't one right way.:-( (I do use smileys, because I'm cool.) Some people accept one convention, others a different one.

I could 'prove' my case with: Did he say, "I am coming"? The question mark belongs to the question, not to the quoted words, and so must be outside the quotes. Logically a full stop (period) must also be outside the quotes.

The counter to that is: He asked, "Are you coming?" The question mark clearly belongs inside the quotes. So, therefore, must a full stop.

Actually, if we were really logical, we'd punctuate thus:
Did he say, "I am coming."?
He asked, "Are you coming?".
Did he ask, "Are you coming?"?

We don't appear to like this jumble of punctuation, so we settle on one of a number of compromises. If we are professional writers, we often don't have a choice. We will end up with the system our publisher has decided on.