Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
You may be right, but I don't understand. What is the reason for omitting the closing quotation mark?
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Simple. The current speaker is not done yet (but a new paragraph is called for).
The opening quote at the beginning of the next paragraphs reminds you that it's still an ongoing quotation.
Otherwise, as Ripplinger mentioned, a closing quote and a new opening quote will often lead the reader to make the mistake of thinking that the first speaker has concluded and a different speaker has begun.
You don't have to like it; I'm not suggesting you should. Typography is not carved in stone and will continue to evolve (just like language). I was merely pointing out that you were
mistaken to assume it was a
mistake. It's been fairly common practice for a fairly long time.
But to be perfectly honest, dialogue where one speaker continues over multiple paragraphs isn't all that common in most of today's popular fiction. Hence, I think, why many people think it's a "mistake" whenever they encounter it. I find it helpful, myself (once I was clued in to how it worked).