RE: ellipsis

[Suzette Seveny <sseveny@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't believe that this is merely a stylistic issue.  Rules of grammar and 
punctuation differ depending on the country for which you are writing.  In 
Canada for example, we do not automatically default to the American grammar and 
punctuation rules. Our schools (and I know because I recently checked) teach 
grammar and punctuation rules similar to the UK.  All punctuation is placed 
outside of quotation marks, unless the punctuation is part of the quoted 
materials.  I write for both Canadian and American audiences (different 
material), so I try to stay aware of each country's style and idiosyncrasies.

Suzette Seveny
Markham, Ontario, Canada
sseveny@petvalu.com or suzette@yesic.com
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On Wednesday, December 09, 1998 10:44 AM, Thomas Regner 
[SMTP:tom_regner@net.com] wrote:
> Snavely, Deborah wrote:
>
> > Can anyone here confirm whether switching to the UK dictionary flags
> > incorrectly used closed punctuation? (Closed "word," punctuation seems to
> > be
> > more a US default style, while open "word", punctuation is, I'm told, a UK
> > default style.)
>
> Much debate has raged over this, especially amongst editors, over the years.
> The Chicago Manual of Style, favored by many, specifies enclosing both
> periods (UK: "full-stop") and commas in U.S. usage.  All other punctuation,
> according to the CMoS, is to be placed outside of the quotation marks.
>
> There are problems that arise, of course, when quoting precise lines
> of code, for example, where using a tailing comma inside the quotes
> will not work if it is assumed that everything bordered by the quotation
> marks should be included.  It is mostly a stylistic issue where many
> believe that putting periods and commas outside of the quotation
> marks is ugly.  Many companies have style guides which specify
> which style of punctuation to use.  This is usually an arbitrary
> decision based solely upon concensus of opinion.
>
> And so the battle rages.  Some say that the only reason the U.S.
> adopted the "closed punctuation" method (your terminology) is
> because we in the U.S., having won the war, had therefore won
> the right to modify the language -- a decision which may have
> been borne of a desire to add insult to injury.  Pure speculation...
>
> Best,
>
> -- Tom
>
>
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