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Original poster

Speech marks: single or double?

77 replies

Fizzytea · 29/05/2023 22:16

Just arguing/chatting with DH, who is an academic. He says in British English we use single inverted commas for direct speech.

He says, 'we use single inverted commas!'

I say, "at school we were taught to use double!"

(DC10 says actually we should use a capital letter after the inverted comma/s also, but that's another discussion.)

I looked it up in my 1980s copy of Fowler's Modern English and it says to use single inverted commas. So why are we taught to use double at school?

OP posts:
MartinsMartini · 30/05/2023 06:44

I'm sure I was taught to use double as well!

GoldenAye · 30/05/2023 06:46

Catsmere · 29/05/2023 23:52

Australian and went to school in the 70s, and I think it was double for speech ir direct quotes and single for a quote within that. Or possibly I’ve got that arse about face and just picked up the habit from the predominance of US style on the internet!

No, I have the same schooling background (70s-80s) and was taught this. I'm a grammar nerd too!

flutterby1 · 30/05/2023 06:49

Double for direct speech

Single for quotes

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General education
Willmafrockfit · 30/05/2023 06:50

i was sure it was double but gave up caring

timegoingtooquickly · 30/05/2023 06:54

We're still teaching double in school!

@Hellocatshome I think the 2 spaces was back when a typewriter was being used. Definitely a thing and it's just gone out of fashion now!

Soontobe60 · 30/05/2023 06:56

It’s actually irrelevant. The important thing is consistency. So if you start with a single, you end on one.

Soontobe60 · 30/05/2023 06:58

The correct terminology, however, is ‘inverted commas’

pilates · 30/05/2023 06:58

I was taught double for direct speech - primary school in the 70’s.

RedRobin100 · 30/05/2023 07:03

🤯

jeffhasgoodhair · 30/05/2023 07:22

Was taught double.

Every book I read is double. Single is a quote to me.

Into Kindle, first book by a UK author:

Ben frowned. “What about it?”
“What’s happening with it?”
“Are you no’ keeping it?”

I don't care if it's supposed to be single - was taught double, most people use double. It's double!

Random789 · 30/05/2023 07:22

You often hear that the British English style is single quotes (and double for quotes-wthin-quotes) and the US style is the reverse. But the reality has I think always been that publishers have varied in their preferences even within the UK.
It isn't a hard rule; it's a style. The key thing is to write in accordance with the preferred style of the organisation you are writing for - esp if it is a university and you are trying to get your thesis passed!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 30/05/2023 07:56

I was taught double and your ds is correct about capital letters,surely?

Catsmere · 30/05/2023 08:03

GoldenAye · 30/05/2023 06:46

No, I have the same schooling background (70s-80s) and was taught this. I'm a grammar nerd too!

Show quote history

Thanks - glad my memory hasn’t completely failed yet! 😆

wildfirewonder · 30/05/2023 08:09

jeffhasgoodhair · 30/05/2023 07:22

Was taught double.

Every book I read is double. Single is a quote to me.

Into Kindle, first book by a UK author:

Ben frowned. “What about it?”
“What’s happening with it?”
“Are you no’ keeping it?”

I don't care if it's supposed to be single - was taught double, most people use double. It's double!

I've just looked through a dozen books and they're nearly all single.

The ones that are not I would call 'American' novels as they were originally published in the US.

mintbiscuit · 30/05/2023 08:11

Thank fuck I don’t need to use speech marks in my job. My mind is blown. I’m not sure what’s real anymore….

newnamethanks · 30/05/2023 08:18

Brit born and educated. Double for quotes and direct speech. Single for quote within a quote. I'm old, have written like this for donkey's years and am sticking with it.

BertieBotts · 30/05/2023 08:24

Double but it's single in published text.

Kindle books you often get the US edition, which irks me. Even sometimes when the author is British. I guess it depends on the publisher.

Cosycover · 30/05/2023 08:29

My friend at uni failed an essay for using double.

Single for quotes. Double for direct speech or a quote within a quote.

LadyGreySpillsTheTea · 30/05/2023 08:32

Random789 · 30/05/2023 07:22

You often hear that the British English style is single quotes (and double for quotes-wthin-quotes) and the US style is the reverse. But the reality has I think always been that publishers have varied in their preferences even within the UK.
It isn't a hard rule; it's a style. The key thing is to write in accordance with the preferred style of the organisation you are writing for - esp if it is a university and you are trying to get your thesis passed!

This, and the similar answer from Soontobe60, have been the only correct responses so far.
If an institution has not specified a preferred style then either single or double is acceptable, although British English more traditionally used single inverted commas.
I‘ve heard of styles that distinguish between double inverted commas for quotes and direct speech, and single for ‘scare quotes’ - but never a style that has double for direct speech and single for quotes.
The main difference is that American English always includes punctuation (full stops and commas) within the inverted commas, even if it’s just a quotation of one word or a scare quote, whereas British tends to include punctuation only after complete sentences.

sakura06 · 30/05/2023 08:58

SmartHome · 29/05/2023 22:19

I use double for direct speech and single for quotes but who knows!

I would do this too.

newtb · 30/05/2023 09:37

At school in 60s/70s was double for speech and single for a quote.

NowZeusHasLainWithLeda · 30/05/2023 09:49

DramaAlpaca · 29/05/2023 22:31

I really don't think it matters, as long as you are consistent in the one you use.

I prefer to use single these days, but definitely remember being taught at school to use double. I suspect the use of single is more modern.

I teach English and train teachers.
What you say is correct. There is no longer any prescriptive rule. Just apply consistency.

Original poster
Fizzytea · 30/05/2023 10:06

LadyGreySpillsTheTea · 30/05/2023 08:32

This, and the similar answer from Soontobe60, have been the only correct responses so far.
If an institution has not specified a preferred style then either single or double is acceptable, although British English more traditionally used single inverted commas.
I‘ve heard of styles that distinguish between double inverted commas for quotes and direct speech, and single for ‘scare quotes’ - but never a style that has double for direct speech and single for quotes.
The main difference is that American English always includes punctuation (full stops and commas) within the inverted commas, even if it’s just a quotation of one word or a scare quote, whereas British tends to include punctuation only after complete sentences.

Show quote history

This is confusing me all the more, because we were definitely taught at school to place punctuation within the speech marks!

OP posts:
Original poster
Fizzytea · 30/05/2023 10:09

Is it perhaps simply a difference between handwritten and printed text?

I was at university when essays were handwritten and there was never any issue with my double inverted commas as quotation marks. I went to a university, however, where the tutors never marked and rarely commented on essays (Cambridge), so perhaps it just never came up.

OP posts:
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