A question concerning grammar ...

[Jayhawker Soule]

Let's say that someone posts the following: "... that comment show real wisdom."

Which of the following responses is grammatically correct"

• What do you mean by "wisdom"?
• What do you mean by "wisdom?"

I would assume the first.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I think the first.

 

[Revoltingest]

Let's say that someone posts the following: "... that comment show shows real wisdom."

Which of the following responses is grammatically correct"

• What do you mean by "wisdom"?
• What do you mean by "wisdom?"

I would assume the first.

Fixed.
First is correct.

 

[Rival]

The first is correct if you're asking a question.

The second if you're quoting someone asking a question.

 

[ChristineM]

I think the first but i am perhaps the last person who should comment. My method seems to be that is a sentence has grammar in it somewhere then its probably OK.

 

[exchemist]

Let's say that someone posts the following: "... that comment show real wisdom."

Which of the following responses is grammatically correct"

• What do you mean by "wisdom"?
• What do you mean by "wisdom?"

I would assume the first.

Yes, because including the question mark inside the inverted commas would wrongly imply it constituted part of the term that is being challenged. I'm not sure that the term "wisdom?" has any meaning.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

It really depends on whom we want to make something clear to. Unless it's some weird grammar professor who thinks otherwise, it's much more sensical and more easily read to go with the first.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

A simple search on Google of: "when does punctuation go inside quotation marks" returned this:

All punctuation goes inside the closing quotation marks. This includes commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points. Chicago: Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

However, upon further inspection of some of the sites returned:

Do commas and periods go inside or outside quotation marks?

• Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks in American English; dashes, colons, and semicolons almost always go outside the quotation marks; question marks and exclamation marks sometimes go inside, sometimes stay outside.

 

[Revoltingest]

The first is correct if you're asking a question.

The second if you're quoting someone asking a question.

But then the 2nd would need a period at the end of the sentence (after the 2nd quotation mark).

Ain't we nerdy!

 

[Rival]

But then the 2nd would need a period at the end of the sentence (after the 2nd quotation mark).

Ain't we nerdy!

Yes it would.

 

[ChristineM]

Ain't we nerdy!

Yup

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Let's say that someone posts the following: "... that comment show real wisdom."

Which of the following responses is grammatically correct"

• What do you mean by "wisdom"?
• What do you mean by "wisdom?"

I would assume the first.

It's the first. The second would be more "

What do you mean by "wisdom"?
What do you mean by "is this wisdom?"

As for if one could say, what do you mean by "is this wisdom?"? That. I'm not sure. I should know since I used to be an ESL teacher. Used to be.

 

[Revoltingest]

A simple search on Google of: "when does punctuation go inside quotation marks" returned this:



However, upon further inspection of some of the sites returned:

As I see it.....
What goes inside quotation marks should be character by character
accurate (other than inserting ellipses to indicate removed text).
Outside of those, use normal sentence punctuation.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

As I see it.....
What goes inside quotation marks should be character by character
accurate (other than inserting ellipses to indicate removed text).
Outside of those, use normal sentence punctuation.

I can understand that for quoting blocks of text, and wanting to remain entirely true to the original production. But if the quote is only a part, or remains open-ended as a thought, but you still want to end the sentence, then I think the rules I quoted are still supposed to stand.

 

[Revoltingest]

I can understand that for quoting blocks of text, and wanting to remain entirely true to the original production. But if the quote is only a part, or remains open-ended as a thought, but you still want to end the sentence, then I think the rules I quoted are still supposed to stand.

Your quoted rules are fine....as long as they agree with what I want.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Your quoted rules are fine....as long as they agree with what I want.

I guess there is no arguing with that.

 

[Revoltingest]

I guess there is no arguing with that.

I don't strive to be right.
(That courts failure.)
Instead, I try to be "not even wrong".

There are very few places where I can make such a joke, & have everyone get it.
Kudos to RF.

 

[Polymath257]

Let's say that someone posts the following: "... that comment show real wisdom."

Which of the following responses is grammatically correct"

• What do you mean by "wisdom"?
• What do you mean by "wisdom?"

I would assume the first.

Truthfully, I would prefer the construction

What do you mean by 'wisdom'?

Reason: It is common in philosophical writing to use single quotes when talking about words.

The usual rules of quoting are for standard writing, where most punctuation goes inside the double quotes. But this falls under a more technical type of writing where conventions may differ.

 

[wandering peacefully]

Truthfully, I would prefer the construction

What do you mean by 'wisdom'?

Reason: It is common in philosophical writing to use single quotes when talking about words.

The usual rules of quoting are for standard writing, where most punctuation goes inside the double quotes. But this falls under a more technical type of writing where conventions may differ.

After perusing the thread, I still have no idea where to put the quotes and punctuation! Where is @Vouthon ?

 

[QuestioningMind]

Let's say that someone posts the following: "... that comment show real wisdom."

Which of the following responses is grammatically correct"

• What do you mean by "wisdom"?
• What do you mean by "wisdom?"

I would assume the first.

Actually I think it should be: What do you mean by 'wisdom'?

A double quotation mark denotes dialogue in fiction, while the single quotation mark denotes a word or words being quoted by another.