English - Quoting a Sentence in OE Comprehension
-
The question ask "Quote the sentence that tell you that John is famished."
If u are the student and during the test, u are not sure whether to write
a) The sentence is "John ate like a pig.".
or
b) The sentence is "John ate like a pig."
then u should just write
The sentence "John ate like a pig." tells me that John is famished.
By the way, it has to be double quotes, not single quotes. -
ridcully:
(a) is weird but I know of some school teachers and even assessment books that advocate this.
Option a. is unacceptable. You do not repeat the same endmark.AgonyMum:
eg. Which sentence in paragragh 2 tells you that John is famished?
Should the answer be
a. The sentence is \"John ate like a pig.\".
b. The sentence is \"John ate like a pig\".
c. The sentence is \"John ate like a pig.\"
Option b. is correct. The full stop belongs to the whole sentence, not the quoted sentence contained within the bigger sentence.
Option c. is incorrect for the reason I state in Option b. However, it is the preferred form in American English, and increasingly Singaporeans seem to follow American English.
I always advise students that American English differs in many respects from British English, not simply in spelling.
Rgds
R
I beg to differ where (b) and (c) are concerned. A sentence by definition contains a full stop so when quoted, the full stop should be inside the closing quotation mark. http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pun1.htm -
ridcully:
This is incorrect because \"John ate like a pig;\" is not a sentence anymore. Due to the semi-colon, it is part of a longer sentence.
Not all sentences end in an endmark such as a full stop: They can end in, for instance, a semi-colon because they are being connected to a subsequent sentence. Let's say we have:
John ate like a pig; it's really disgusting to watch him.
Would you write?:
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig;\"
You should write: The phrase is \"John ate like a pig\". -
call a spade a spade:
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig.\". --> I've checked with some native speakers who are English teachers and they too say that this is definitely wrong.
A 'sentence' is an idea encased within a complete line thus beginning with a capital letter and a definite punctuation (?, ! or .). So, when quoting a sentence, we should include everything from the capital letter to the full-stop. However, the quote itself is set within another sentence thus there should be another full-stop after the quote.
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig.\" --> correct -
Can someone who has taken PSLE, or a current P6 school teacher, confirm the correct way of quoting a sentence?
-
didnt know of such a thread… thks for bumping this up…
i’m not too sure of who said the right thing here… but i’m very sure that all my dc are marked the same way, that is, teachers do hv a certain rule out there…
the answer is always marked as
The sentence is "John ate like a pig".
having single or double quotation marks are not penalised at all… i see both single or double marked as correct 2 full marks for my dc…
i think it is always the case when it comes to eng, where many ppl have been taught either different ways, or from different countries… i would say they may be all correct in their context, but the moe only follows their set… so it should be best to check with their hod in sch… whether they are experts or not, they are responsible for answering that to parents… -
oliveminx:
Just because they are native speakers doesn't necessarily make them correct. While I'm not saying that they must be wrong, I do feel that we should get out of the antiquated mindset that they must be right.
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig.\". --> I've checked with some native speakers who are English teachers and they too say that this is definitely wrong.call a spade a spade:
A 'sentence' is an idea encased within a complete line thus beginning with a capital letter and a definite punctuation (?, ! or .). So, when quoting a sentence, we should include everything from the capital letter to the full-stop. However, the quote itself is set within another sentence thus there should be another full-stop after the quote.
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig.\" --> correct
The original issue, if I remember correctly, is on whether there should be double full-stops when there is a quote within the context of a larger sentence and not, on whether the full-stop is inside or outside the quotation marks in a single speech act.
That was my basis for my answer. However, if I've mis-read the entire basis for the discussion, my apologies. -
verykiasumummy:
I fully agree with you here. Most parents who compare will also find out that teachers from different schools give different answers. So, at the end of the day, the school teachers are accountable to the students and parents for whatever answers they give.didnt know of such a thread... thks for bumping this up...
i'm not too sure of who said the right thing here... but i'm very sure that all my dc are marked the same way, that is, teachers do hv a certain rule out there...
the answer is always marked as
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig\".
having single or double quotation marks are not penalised at all.. i see both single or double marked as correct 2 full marks for my dc...
i think it is always the case when it comes to eng, where many ppl have been taught either different ways, or from different countries... i would say they may be all correct in their context, but the moe only follows their set... so it should be best to check with their hod in sch... whether they are experts or not, they are responsible for answering that to parents... -
call a spade a spade:
as chk with my dd's teacher. the same as what i hv mentioned,
I fully agree with you here. Most parents who compare will also find out that teachers from different schools give different answers. So, at the end of the day, the school teachers are accountable to the students and parents for whatever answers they give.verykiasumummy:
didnt know of such a thread... thks for bumping this up...
i'm not too sure of who said the right thing here... but i'm very sure that all my dc are marked the same way, that is, teachers do hv a certain rule out there...
the answer is always marked as
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig\".
having single or double quotation marks are not penalised at all.. i see both single or double marked as correct 2 full marks for my dc...
i think it is always the case when it comes to eng, where many ppl have been taught either different ways, or from different countries... i would say they may be all correct in their context, but the moe only follows their set... so it should be best to check with their hod in sch... whether they are experts or not, they are responsible for answering that to parents...
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig\".
--- is the way it is marked in the school.... -
verykiasumummy:
Sometimes, teachers' can be wrong. Young teachers especially - they didn't study grammar.
as chk with my dd's teacher. the same as what i hv mentioned,
The sentence is \"John ate like a pig\".
--- is the way it is marked in the school....
The period should be inside the quotation mark.
.... like a pig.\"
This site is useful http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/quotes.asp
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