John Prescott Reveals Secret Battle With Bulimia

[Winston]

Or they could use indentations if it's really that much of a concern.

Those were helpful comments of yours, they've spread some light on the subject to me.

Let's hope John Prescott doesn't read all this though, he might feel the need to straight away confess some more "embarrassing" things in order to stay in the spotlight.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia


This occurs when a quote continues across a paragraph break. I've seen it in some American publications too and it's a little distracting if I'm not paying close attention.

They're apparently supposed to omit the end-quote on the first bit, but they have to put a start-quote on the second bit to show that the quote is still going on.

Edit: Ninja'd.

I've seen it in almost every book that I've read. Omitting 1 quotation saves having to repeatedly say "he/she said".

It's understood, so it never bothers me.

ACK!

[Q Classic]

I've always noticed the lack of a ending quote, but it's never bothered me...

[Frozzy]

Originally posted by Dauphin
I happened to ask someone about this, as I noticed it in some more articles. They mentioned that it was an old style, apparently coming back into fashion.

From wiki:

Quotations spanning several paragraphs
For a quotation consisting of several paragraphs, especially in older texts, the convention is to start each separate paragraph of the quoted text with an opening quotation mark, but to use a closing quotation mark only at the end of the last paragraph, as in the following example from Pride and Prejudice:

The letter was to this effect:
“MY DEAR LIZZY,
“I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half as well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you so rich, and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do, of about three or four hundred a year; but however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not.
“Yours, etc.”

I've honestly always thought that was the correct, established way to construct multi-paragraph quotations, since the ” indicates the end of the quotee's quotation, so placing it at the end of each paragraph would result in "orphaning" the quoted paragraphs behind it.

Watch out Wapping, I'm coming to edit your sex scandals with a standard convention multi-paragraph quotation style.