Gonna

I had an SE who changed "smoking" to "smokin'" in a quote because he thought that's how the coach said it.

"So-and-So's bat has been smokin' lately," Tinytown Tweedlers coach Timmy Thibadeaux said.

Of course, the guy was like a pedophile on the short bus -- fucking retarded.

 

Eh... either, or

 

What about 'cause instead of because and 'em instead of them?

I didn't read the whole thread, so if these are already mentioned, well, too bad for you.

 

Unless they completely butcher the language, I tend to leave quotes alone, aside from the usual clarification and/or chopping.

No problem with "gonna" here, particularly when you can't ever picture the interview subject blurting out "going to" mid-sentence.

 

If someone said "gonna," he or she didn't say "going to," so "going to" probably shouldn't be in a quote.

 

Good point.

 

What about putting the word "man" in. This might seem random but it's something I've noticed a little bit recently. "We're just gonna need to play hard tonight, man" Jones said.

I mean is it really necessary to leave the man in there?

 

Your stance is Pollyanna.
Next time an athlete says 34 "you-knows" in a two-sentence quote, I want you to use every single "you-know." In speech, "gonna" and "going to" are real close, so using ENGLISH wouldn't hurt.

 

What about athletes who throw in "I mean" a lot. Sometimes they start answers with "I mean."

Are some of you actually putting, "I mean, we're like, um, playing hard, you know, so, man, it's good and stuff. We're gonna win our next game. Now ax me another question, brotha."

That's not doing a service to the reader to leave it like that. Paraphrasing it might be the right way to go, but unless there is a politician or other person with a "great mind" speaking like that, I see no point to quote it like that.

 

I'm anti-gonna, but I could see its use in a column.
For what it's worth: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gonna

Also took the time to look in the AP Stylebook but didn't find anything. However, does anyone else always turn to the page with "G-string" at the top every time they open the book? Christ, every fuckin' time I do ... unintentionally.

 

High school girls say "like" every other word. Good luck with that in an eight-inch story.

 

While we're on the subject, what about a speaker who uses a lot of pauses? Obviously you wouldn't want to reference every pause, but does anyone ever mention them? "Well, we didn't play very well, (pause) and I guess I have to take the blame for that."