Rail-road prang on RH&DR

"Jack Taylor" <Jack@Carney.co.uk> wrote in message news:<3f2daa13$0$10774$afc38c87@news.ukonline.co.u k>...

> FYI, the locomotive involved was "Hercules". Hopefully it hasn't suffered a
> bent frame and is repairable. However, of greater concern is the fact that a
> committed, volunteer member of the Railway lost his life as the result of
> what appears to be negligence by the car driver. Perhaps a charge of
> manslaughter, as with the Gary Hart (Great Heck) case, would be appropriate?

I don't know the cause of the accident, so can't comment on that, but
the BBC reports one woman as saying:

"It was just sheer devastation, it was so sad, the car's just
absolutely wrecked."

No mention of concern about possibilities of injuries to people.

The report also contained the following strange paragraphs:

A spokesman for the railway, which operates over the summer tourist
season between April and September, said: "The accident has happened
at one of our level crossing gates.

"There are flashing lights at the level crossing, but there are no
gates, so at this stage it appears it has been an accident.

The lack of closing quotes is as in the original article, and also
happens in other places.

How could the accident have happened at one of the level crossing
gates when the next paragraph tells us that the crossing had no gates?
Why does the lack of gates indicate that it was an accident?

Stephen Furley <furles@mail.croydon.ac.uk> writes
>The lack of closing quotes is as in the original article, and also
>happens in other places.

What's wrong with that? I was taught at school; when quoting material
which spans more than one paragraph, that you 'open' the quotes at the
start of every paragraph - but only 'close' them at the end of ten
quoted material.

--
Dave

Stephen Furley <furles@mail.croydon.ac.uk> writes
>The lack of closing quotes is as in the original article, and also
>happens in other places.

What's wrong with that? I was taught at school; when quoting material
which spans more than one paragraph you 'open' the quotes at the start
of every paragraph, but only 'close' them at the end of the quoted
material.

--
Dave

"Dave" <${news.reply.0803}$@dv-8.> wrote in message
news:mwsYo1XyDjL$EwKD@dv-8....
> Stephen Furley <furles@mail.croydon.ac.uk> writes
> >The lack of closing quotes is as in the original article, and also
> >happens in other places.
>
> What's wrong with that? I was taught at school; when quoting material
> which spans more than one paragraph you 'open' the quotes at the start
> of every paragraph, but only 'close' them at the end of the quoted
> material.

Sheesh! And I expect you were also taught a load of rubbish about apostrophe
s.

How long ago was this? (Not long, I suspect)

(Nothing personal - if it is what you were taught it isn't your fault if
it's wrong!)

Tony

Dave <${news.reply.0803}$@dv-8.> wrote in message news:<mwsYo1XyDjL$EwKD@dv-8.>...
> Stephen Furley <furles@mail.croydon.ac.uk> writes
> >The lack of closing quotes is as in the original article, and also
> >happens in other places.
>
> What's wrong with that? I was taught at school; when quoting material
> which spans more than one paragraph you 'open' the quotes at the start
> of every paragraph, but only 'close' them at the end of the quoted
> material.

As I read the BBC article there were two separate quoted sections, not
just one spanning several paragraphs, and the opening of the second
happened without the first having been closed. Surely, the only time
this should happen is if two quotes are nested, which was not the
case, and something best avoided in most cases.

I tried to read the article again to see if I had mis-read it, but it
seems to hae been removed now.

Stephen Furley <furles@mail.croydon.ac.uk> writes
>> >The lack of closing quotes is as in the original article, and also
>> >happens in other places.
>>
>> What's wrong with that? I was taught at school; when quoting material
>> which spans more than one paragraph you 'open' the quotes at the start
>> of every paragraph, but only 'close' them at the end of the quoted
>> material.
>
>As I read the BBC article there were two separate quoted sections, not
>just one spanning several paragraphs, and the opening of the second
>happened without the first having been closed. Surely, the only time
>this should happen is if two quotes are nested, which was not the
>case, and something best avoided in most cases.
>
>I tried to read the article again to see if I had mis-read it, but it
>seems to hae been removed now.

It's still there. It has two quotes; one from the railway spokesman,
which is properly 'closed-off' before the words of the local resident.

In particular, the part you cut & pasted (and provoked your original
comment) was all quoted from one person.

--
Dave