BrainPick Quotation marks and names

[Susan]

Apologies if this should be in Writing Groups. I wasn't sure, since it's a grammar question and not a request for critique.

Sometimes it feels right to put quote marks around people's names and sometimes, in similar sentences, it doesn't. What's the rule? Google is not my friend today.


Here are some inconsistent examples from my novel:

I sent a maid to Agamemnon requesting him to name our daughter ‘Iphigenia’.​

​

He carried him around the hearth and named him 'Orestes'.​

​

This person, who called herself Harmonia ...​

​

But there was someone Medea loved, a man named Jason.​

I assume the first two, probably three, sentences should have quote marks because of such constructions as 'I sent a maid to Agamemnon requesting him to name our daughter Iphigenia as his successor'. But the fourth sentence would look wrong with quote marks.

 

[Carol Rose]

This is one of those points that you will find differing rules on. A lot of it will depend on house style, so whatever you do might change once it's accepted by a publisher. To that end, what's important is to choose a style when you're writing and be consistent with that style throughout the manuscript. Doesn't matter if it doesn't match their house style, because of course you can't possibly know their house style unless you already write for them. But being consistent with one style shows you understand there are styles, and you know how to apply one of them to your own work.

Here is one reference I found. Hope it helps.

Marking Text—Choosing Between Italics and Quotation Marks

 

[Deleted member 604]

Consistency is your best friend here.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I had a similar problem when naming characters with nicknames, deciding that adding quote marks to someone called Brian 'Hot' Toddy was better than leaving them off and making it look like that was what he was christened.

 

[E G Logan]

Apologies if this should be in Writing Groups. I wasn't sure, since it's a grammar question and not a request for critique.

Sometimes it feels right to put quote marks around people's names and sometimes, in similar sentences, it doesn't. What's the rule? Google is not my friend today.


Here are some inconsistent examples from my novel:

I sent a maid to Agamemnon requesting him to name our daughter ‘Iphigenia’.​

​

He carried him around the hearth and named him 'Orestes'.​

​

This person, who called herself Harmonia ...​

​

But there was someone Medea loved, a man named Jason.​

I assume the first two, probably three, sentences should have quote marks because of such constructions as 'I sent a maid to Agamemnon requesting him to name our daughter Iphigenia as his successor'. But the fourth sentence would look wrong with quote marks.

I wouldn't use quotes for any of those. Just possibly, the second -- but only at first mention, then not again.

The majority of styles I know -- and I do take the point made by Carol Rose -- wouldn't use quotes for that, ever.

 

[Susan]

I wouldn't use quotes for any of those. Just possibly, the second -- but only at first mention, then not again.

The majority of styles I know -- and I do take the point made by Carol Rose -- wouldn't use quotes for that, ever.

I actually just added the quotes to the first two examples today, after thinking ‘named Iphigenia ...’ - named her *what*? Named her a nickname? Named her his heir? ‘Named Iphigenia “Iphigenia”’?

I’m maybe overthinking and will probably remove all the quotes again. But if you don’t mind me asking, what makes you differentiate between the first and second examples?

 

[Susan]

To be clearer, what about the sentence ‘I called Iphigenia ‘Iphi’ because it’s damned easier to pronounce’? There would be inconsistency adopting the no quotes method in the other examples.

I’m glad to see the grammar issue seems to be one of preference though, and not my total ignorance!

 

[Tim James]

English grammar and punctuation are quite flexible, as they should be, and as Carol says, publishing houses have their own set of rules referred to as the house style. I wouldn't get too hung up about one particular style over another. But as others have said, being consistent in your own writing is important.
To me, ‘I called Iphigenia ‘Iphi’ because it’s damned easier to pronounce’ looks perfectly OK, your other examples however could stand without the quotes, but again it's your preference.
As an alternative you could use italics like this ‘I called Iphigenia Iphi because it’s damned easier to pronounce’ (although again this may be anathema to other writers who abhor such things.)

 

[E G Logan]

I actually just added the quotes to the first two examples today, after thinking ‘named Iphigenia ...’ - named her *what*? Named her a nickname? Named her his heir? ‘Named Iphigenia “Iphigenia”’?

I’m maybe overthinking and will probably remove all the quotes again. But if you don’t mind me asking, what makes you differentiate between the first and second examples?

Just had a second look -- there's actually very little difference. Should have stuck with first impression: no quotes in any of them.

 

[E G Logan]

On the other hand, if in either case it was
name/d her/him 'Seaspray', or 'Butterfly'
then I'd do it with single quotes first time and not again after that.