Reported Speech Questions Medium
When reporting reported speech within reported speech, there are a few rules to follow regarding the use of quotation marks.
1. The outermost layer of reported speech should be enclosed in double quotation marks (" ").
2. If there is a second layer of reported speech within the outermost layer, it should be enclosed in single quotation marks (' ').
3. If there is a third layer of reported speech within the second layer, it should be enclosed in double quotation marks again.
4. This pattern of alternating between double and single quotation marks continues for subsequent layers of reported speech.
For example, let's consider a sentence with three layers of reported speech:
Original statement: "I saw John yesterday," said Mary.
First layer of reported speech: Mary said that she had seen John yesterday.
Second layer of reported speech: Mary said, 'I saw John yesterday.'
Third layer of reported speech: Mary said that she had said, "I saw John yesterday."
By following these rules, we can accurately convey reported speech within reported speech using appropriate quotation marks.