Job Discussion Forums

[Guy Courchesne]

Here's a site MELEE will "like". Pretty much explains it.

http://www.juvalamu.com/qmarks/

For me, it's always been double quotes for a direct quotation or to differentiate technical jargon from regular text, or slang from technical text.

Single quotes are for a quote within a quote. Formally anyway. I'll use single quotes informally for sarcasm or slang.

[MikeyG]

What? There was no irony intended in the first post?

[MO39]

I'm really glad I asked my question about inverted commas - thanks to everyone who responded!

[MELEE]

Okay, I had a busy couple of days so I've just gotten back to this.

This is from Hablar y escribir correctamente by Paula Arenas Mart�n-Abril, a Spaniard. The book is part of the manuales de la lingua series published by Edimat Libros and printed in Spain. So it is obviously about the Spanish sort of Spanish, not the Mexican sort of Spanish but here goes.

Comillos
Las comillas pueden ser de distintos tipos:
1. Comillas simples: ' '
2. Comillas espa�oles: << >>
3. Comillas inglesas: " "
Se puede usar cualquiera de las tres; simplemente hay que saber que si en un mismo texto han de aparecer varias partes entre comillas, �stas han de alternar.

Uso de comillas:
a) Cuando se escriben frases o textos de otro autor.

b) Cuando empleamos una palabra vulgar o de otro lengua.

c) Si usamas una palabra con un sentido ir�nico o especial.

d) Cuando se escribe al significado de una palabra se pone entre comillas.

e) En t�tulos de poemas, art�culos, cuadors, ect.


So it's not that different from English usage really. In the example Se Vende este "Lote" 300 metros cuadrados. Lote is not a direct quote, a vulgar or foreign word, the definition of a word, nor the title of a poem, article or art work, so the only option left is for the reader to assume this so called "lote" is really just a hunk of rock that no one should want to buy.

[Ms. Atondo]

Ewww...so that's why the "pozole" tasted off