jmsx521

How is the rule for quote within a quote within another quote?

This is directly from Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls:
“‘“What do you mean?” Retana asked.’
The comment is said by a characters who is speaking about a story in the past. So, the "What do you mean?" is not happening currently. That's why there are extra quotation marks at the beginning... but where are the extra quotation mark endings? I noticed the ending quotation marks are being skipped on many other places as well within the story that is being told (that happened in the past). So, is that the way to do quote within a quote, within another quote?

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valeca

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking, but I'll give it a shot.

"'What do you mean?' Retana asked."

Double set, then single for the quote, followed by a double for closing the dialogue. I don't believe it matters which you use first, so long as you keep consistent with the rest of your writing.

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Dawnstorm

When a character speaks for more than a paragraph, the end of the paragraph most speeches do not have quotation marks at the end of the paragraph, until the speech stops.

"I did this, then that. Some of something else, then that agin.
"None of it mattered. None.
"Poor me."

I'm a bit confused about your quote, though, as the paragraph is beginning with 5 single quotationmarks (probably two double and one single?). It's confusing without context.

aliceedelweiss

i understand what you are saying but...Too uneducated about grammar to give an answer.

" 'blah blah blah' she said,"

? I'm only guessing....

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Fantasy of You

It doesn't matter if the person is quoting a person who quoted (sorry if that confused you). It is still onlt "'quote'"

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pup

Dawnstorm has it right, concerning the missing end quotes.

There are most likely two things going on at once.

First, if a single block of speech is broken up into several paragraphs, there's a quote at the beginning of each paragraph, but no closing quote until the end of the last paragraph.

Second, if there's a quote within a quote within a quote, it goes from double quotes, to single quotes, back to double quotes. For example:

She said, "He told me, 'I heard the password is "Rover." ' "

mammamaia

you nailed it, pup!... on all points...

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jmsx521

yes, thanks.

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All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.

--Aristotle