BBC News: “Charles Duncombe says an analysis of website figures shows a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half. Mr. Duncombe says when recruiting staff he has been ‘shocked at the poor quality of written English’.”
I agree with this article, but isn’t the period to go inside the quotation marks? Does British English differ from American English on end punctuation?
Yes.
All right, then.
Yes. I spent 4 months copy-editing 900 pages of systematic theology by an American author for British publication. Believe me, it does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Punctuation
Personally, I have to say the British use is (as Wikipedia notes) more logical. The punctuation should not be inside the quotation marks if it wasn’t there in the original quotation. Quotation marks should indicate quoted material, including punctuation.
And if you agree with me, you can use that usage too – at least according to Wkipedia!
Phil, you may enjoy reading at the website Daily Writing Tips, where the authors and readers routinely discuss American English and grammar, and English English and grammar.
The internet has thrown us all together, and it has certainly created some sparks. English speakers from all over the world have congregated at DWT, and it is fun and educational.
Thanks, Deborah. Daily Writing Tips looks to be a high traffic site. I feel as if my grammar skills are slipping the longer I drift away from college.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t the title be, “Bad Grammar, Spelling Kill”?
You’re right, Stonechurch. We’re saying that bad grammar and spelling kill, using the comma in the tradition of headline writers squeezed for space.
So, I should stop blogging or hire a team of editors to cover me.