Opening and closing speech marks - is this right?

[Pesha]

Have a question raised at a workshop I was at yesterday at my DD's school. Throughout Monkey Puzzle they open speech marks but don't close them and then start a new paragraph with the same character talking, opening and closing them again on the new paragraph, like this -

"No, no, no, no. That's a snake.

"My mum......something else I can't remember the words but quite a few more lines all by same character as first line."

The book is all or mostly rhyming and has a lovely rhythm so not much 'he said' 'she said' which I guess is why they've done it so its clear who is still talking.

But is it right?!

(And please don't pick on my grammar its coz I'm fick tired!!)

[Pesha]

Anyone...?

[MrsBadger]

You are allowed to open speech marks at the start of each paragraph then close them once at the end of the speech.

[Pesha]

So it is right then?

Excellent! Workshop is an hour or so of parents and children then dc get time with a teacher and parents go off with very annoying woman who prattles on a load of nonsense in a very annoying voice and occasionally talks to us about what and how they are learning things in school. She said she'd spotted a mistake in the book and everyone agreed if you open speech marks you should shut them again but I said I thought actually it was right but wasn't sure and would check. She seemed a little put out that I was questioning her so I was worried that she was right and I was wrong and would have to go back next week and end up looking stupid and she'd be all smug and gloaty!

[Botbot]

It's definitely correct, but I've always thought it looks old-fashioned and a bit odd.

[Pesha]

Yes I can see her point that when you are teaching primary aged children (we're there for our yr2 children) it can be a bit confusing as they are taught if you open them you have to close them again.

But she did go on a lot about this 'mistake' she'd spotted and could we spot it too and she's so annoying that I couldn't stop myself from saying actually I think it is gramatically correct. I can't tell you how relieved I am that I don't have to go back and say actually I was wrong!!

[Pesha]

Oh and Thank you both btw!!

[StealthPolarBear]

I've always wondered about this - I noticed it in a newspaper or something and assumed it was a mistake but then saw it over and over again, so assumed it was right but I've never had it explained.

[LaComtesse]

I think it shows that the person is continuing to speak and has just drawn breath as it were. It does look old-fashioned but it's not incorrect.

[fembear]

Agree with La Comtesse. It's just a useful reminder to the reader that, although it is a new paragraph, it is still the same person speaking (i.e. it isn't a different person neither has it reverted to narrative).

[Ellbell]

It's definitely correct. You go back there and give her what for, Pesha!

[Pesha]

Lol ellbell, I will!! She seems like shes learnt a lot of stuff by rote and is teaching us from a script without actually understanding what it is shes saying. Which is a shame because its a really good idea to help us help our dc more and could have been so much better if she weren't such a PITA!

Fembear thats exactly what I said to her! If you close them at the end of the first line then it looks like its someone else speaking but if you don't put them at start of new paragraph its not so clear that its still speech.

[PuppyMonkey]

This is what you are taught to do when writing for newspapers too.

It's wrong, but it's just a publishing writing style thing.

[BarcodeZebra]

Ah, PuppyMonkey, what a puppy you are. Not wrong at all. Actually RIGHT.

I was taught it at school.

So there young 'un.

[edam]

Yup, I'm with the 'it's right' brigade. And I'm a sub, amongst other things, so my word is LAW.

Pesha's acquaintance is a prime example of a little learning being a dangerous thing. Why do people assume that what they happen to know about a topic is the last word?

[edam]

Just realised what I did there! But I do have professional reason to know a bit more about it than Pesha's daft woman.