Inverted commas

[flipnflap]

Which is the correct way to do inverted commas: [FOR EXAMPLE] 'Her mother said "Let's have tea" and boiled the kettle' OR "Her mother said 'Let's have tea' and boiled the kettle"?

[mike11111]

Her mother said, "Let's have tea," and boiled the kettle.

[ojread2]

the 2nd way is completely incorrect lol

[shooty]

Her mother said, "Let's have tea," and told me to put the kettle on. : (

[Tilly2]

Her mother said, 'Let's have tea.' and boiled the kettle.
or
Her mother said, "Let's have tea." and boiled the kettle.

Personally, I prefer, and use, the latter but I think it's a bit old fashioned now.

[ojread2]

capital letter A after a full stop, surely?

[shooty]

A comma to break the sentence, surely ?

[Tilly2]

Well, the mother's sentence is:- Let's have tea. That should end in a full stop.
Really it should be. Her mother said, "Let's have tea." She then boiled the kettle.

[mike11111]

Her mother said, 'Let's have tea.' and boiled the kettle.

Definitely not. The full stop renders the second half meaningless. A comma is needed.

[ChuckFickens]

Shouldn't' it be

Her mother said "Let's have tea." and boiled the kettle.

[naomi24]

Her mother said, "Let's have tea", and boiled the kettle. Comma outside the quotes. Definitely not a full stop.

[carrust]

I'd say; "Sod the tea it's taking too long, I'll have a glass of water!"

[Tilly2]

Mother's sentence is:- Let's have tea.

[ChuckFickens]

I agree, "let's have tea" is a sentence in it's own right and gets a full stop inside the quotes.

[mike11111]

Comma outside the quotes. Definitely not a full stop.

The rule is that any punctuation mark should go after the last word spoken and should therefore be inside the closing quotation marks.

[Tilly2]

This question started off with inverted commas and now it's all about full stops, commas and sentences.

[naomi24]

Mike, You do it your way - I'll stick to mine.

[chrissa1]

Speech commas, plural, go round the words actually spoken.

This "....."

Not this '.....'

[cathfromsaron]

i would only use two sets of inverted commas if a person was saying something containing speech by a third party:

'My mother said "Let's have tea" and then she boiled the kettle,' Jane said.

[Roddles]

Chuck. No apostrophe in "it's" when it is the posessive.

[ChuckFickens]

LOL. Good point, I'll go to the corner :)