---
name: feedback-fowlers-rules-quotation
description: Steward uses Fowler's rules for quotation — single quotes primary, double
  for nested, logical (British) punctuation-quote order. Apply across all writing.
metadata:
  node_type: memory
  type: feedback
  originSessionId: cc62a4ed-b8b9-4b02-9b98-6af3f5830487
permalink: claude-memory/feedback-fowlers-rules-quotation
---

Steward's quotation style is **Fowler's** (the *King's English* / *Modern English Usage* tradition), not American convention.

**Primary quotation:** single quotes `'…'`
**Nested quotation:** double quotes `"…"`
**Punctuation order:** logical / British — only punctuation belonging to the quoted matter goes inside the quotes; punctuation belonging to the framing sentence goes outside.

Apply this to all writing in ARC and elsewhere unless the steward explicitly says otherwise.

**Why:** the steward's **spelling** comes from Canadian education (so words like *organised*, *honour*, *centre* appear; Canadian English mixes British and American). The **punctuation** choice — Fowler's / logical / single-primary — is a deliberate alignment to British convention for European-context reasons (the steward is based in Barcelona and works across the European concert circuit; British typographic punctuation is the European-aligned choice over American). The two are distinct: Canadian spelling does not entail British punctuation; the steward has chosen them separately. **Both apply across the steward's work.**

American "double-quotes primary, periods always inside" is the wrong convention.

**How to apply:**
- When quoting a master verbatim in body prose: `'…'` not `"…"`
- When quoting within a quote: outer single, inner double
- Period inside single quotes ONLY when the period belongs to the quoted sentence (i.e., the quote ends a complete sentence). Period outside when the period belongs to the larger framing sentence and the quoted material is a fragment or phrase.
- In markdown, use straight `'…'` — pandoc smart-punctuation converts to curly `'…'` automatically.

**Surfaced from:** 2026-05-19, during /aldine-xxi/ page rewrite. I had inadvertently used American convention (doubles primary, period inside regardless); steward corrected with "single quotes no? Fowler's rules."

Related: [[user-arc-british-english]] (the steward writes British English by default).