Hello everyone.

I could do with some good advice. Can anyone recommend a really good book or website dedicated to grammar?

Its just that I recently had a rejection where the agent commented on my apostrophe's. This is the first time I have been picked up on it and I genuinely thought I was using them correctly -so I am obviously a little concerned that this is something I need to work on. Mind you, no-one else seems to have noticed!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

PS: How do you tend to abbreviate speech within text? "Do you use this?" or 'this' or simply italics? Cheers!

Hi Loopy, welcome to WW.

For a start apostrophe's, in the context you’ve used it here, doesn’t need an apostrophe!

Some books no writer should be without are:

Fowlers Modern English Usage and The Oxford Manual Of Style

Sorry but I don’t understand your question about abbreviating speech…

Dee.

Loopy

First, welcome to WW.

Try Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves published by Profile Boooks. She majors on apostrophes!!

Good luck with your writing

jumbo

Hello. Oh whoops! I have taken your advice and invested in copies of the above - thanks!

With reference to the speech thingy! I have noticed that other published authors can use different styles to indicate speech within text.

i.e. Sarah turned to Malcolm, an angry glint in her eye. "What did you think you are doing with that girl last night?". She slammed her fist into the cupboard door.

OR

Sarah turned to Malcolm, an angry glint in her eye. 'What did you think you are doing last night?'. She slammed her fist into the cupboard door.


Which is correct, first or second, or neither - HELP!

Good tip. Will look for a copy today.

Thank you.

Loop

What exactly did they say about your apostrophes because I've looked at your piece of work and the apostrophes seem ok? And have you used the right verb (abbreviate) in your question because it doesn'''t seem to make sense.

Dave

Loopy

Either version is correct - or should I say, both are correct.

It's down to the house style of the publisher, so you may want to check on such things before submitting your 150,000 word novel.

jumbo

Strike abbreviate! Read punctuate! Whoops again! Sorry, my mind seems to be elsewhere but thanks for clarifiying it for me. Much appreciated!

Cheers Jumbo,

One publisher already has my manuscript after reading the first 50 or so pages so they must be okay with it. However, I will check in future with other publishers. Thanks for the hint!

Oh, the dreaded apostrophes. The rules are really quite simple and yet they seem to be the bane of so many lives.

Anyway, what I wanted to ask is, are publishers really so fussy that they'll only accept manuscripts with a certain style of quotation? Surely they don't expect us to change the style of a whole book to suit their whims?

~Sharon