I think that's okay as well, using the "toggle between double and single quotes for each nested layer of quotation" system.  If context would let me get away with it, though, I'd want to shift the beginning to "The most famous line in the book is as follows:" and then use block quotation style for the rest, just to scrape off that outer layer of marks.

Bill Spruiell
Dept. of English
Central Michigan University

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Chorazy
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 12:27 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Quotation marks

Hello to all... a colleague asked about a student paper in which that student wrote what you'll find below. The question is in regard to the use of quotes, particularly because the quoted text is dialogue, and in that dialogue the speaker (not the narrator) quotes someone else, causing a bit of a mess with quotation marks. The student's own words are in italics below, and the rest is his attempt to correctly apply quotations (the quotes on the outside of the entire passage).

At first glance, I think he may actually be okay here...Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated! Thank you, as always...

John


The most famous line in the book is "'Can't repeat the past?' Gatsby cried incredulously.  And then he asked Daisy, 'Remember when you said, "Of course you can"?'"


John Chorazy
English III Academy, Honors, and Academic.
Adviser, Panther Press School Newspaper.


Pequannock Township High School
Pompton Plains,NJ
973.616.6000



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