Commas in Quotes

[Thadeus]

George Bush is a difficult speaker to quote at times. With his penchant for beginning a sentence only to stop and try to rephrase before the original phrase has been uttered. This leads to quotes like the following:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

It is always difficult to correctly decide where to put in a comma or if this should be a dash... hey, why not a period.

So here's an interesting one regarding Joe Biden.

I used the Bush quote only because it was one I remembered and was able to look up quickly. Can we please discuss the way grammar gets transcribed by the listener.

~Thadeus

 

[Thadeus]

Oops! Should be titled Commas in Quotations.

~Thadeus

 

[Lunatic]

Oops! Should be titled Commas in Quotations.

My irrational quest is already showing signs of success!

***************************************
Have a problem with my spelling or grammar? Please refer all complaints to my English teacher:
Ralphy "Me fail English? That's unpossible." Wiggum

 

[MallardVHS]

"Comas in quotations..."

The funny thing is I'm a rePubliCan (aka, race you to the tavern!!)

Don Key Hoe Tea

[green]Tis far easier to keep your duck in a row if you just have the one.[/green]

 

[IknowMe]

Mallard,
Your puns remind me of Aiches in my head that had been, until recently, Silent. If this makes any sense to you perhaps we've met some Time in the past?

Of course I may be wrong.

Wow, I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time.
I think I've forgotten this before.

 

[SantaMufasa]

Mallard,

To protect the "innocent", I would duck responding to MrMilson's post. <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[MallardVHS]

Are y'all calling me a Quack? Alas, my fellow sighchirotrists are used to IT.

I'll halve both of you two know THat I have a Ductorate of Flylowsoftly. With Pondtificates, know less.

Innocent, indeed. Sounds like a "tavern" pun to me. [green]Katie "bar" the door and slam the lox[/green]. No, wait, that might seem fishy...

Watt was the question? Oh, yes. Sorry, MM, as your ductor I advise you take two aspirin and, er, cull me in the mourning. Head aiche indeed...

Don (Don L. Duck, in hi[blue]span[/blue]ish...)_



[green]Tis far easier to keep your duck in a row if you just have the one.[/green]

 

[xwb]

Should't some of the dashes be semi-colons?

 

[CajunCenturion]

I would replace at least of the dashes with an ellipses, but I do not see where a semi-colon would be valid.

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[philhege]

Bush's ramblings are most properly classified as parenthetical expressions. They can be corralled by either dashes or parentheses. Concerning our fearless leader's utterances, I feel the dash most effectively conveys the halting, stumbling lurch of his train of thought as it derails the track of reason.

But that's just my take on things. Whatever.

 

[p5wizard]

How about:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee (pause... to himself: Did I just say Tennessee? Dang, I meant Texas...) I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee (pause... to himself: Now what was I trying to say? O yeah, got it I think...) that says, fool me once, shame on (pause... Shame on me? No that can't be it...) shame on you. Fool me (pause...) you can't get fooled again."

Now I am by no means a mind reader, but to follow Dubya's train of thought, it sure as heck would be helpful...

Of course it stops being a quotation like this.

p5