She said, he says. (Editing).

Last fall Copy Editor newsletter polled its readers: "Which verb tense do you prefer when attributing quotations?"

The answers available were "Present tense. For example, John Doe says"; "Past tense. For example, John Doe said"; "I don't follow any particular rule"; and "I follow a rule that depends on context."

Frankly, it's a question we here at NL/NL have never quite come to grips with. We have no iron-clad rule-sometimes it's "John Doe told us," other times it's, "John Doe says."

We consulted a number of style and usage manuals--including The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, The New York Public Library Writers Guide to Style and Usage, Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, and the Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage-and came up empty.

Except, that is, for a brief notation in Webster's Dictionary of English Usage:

"The use of the present tense where the past might be expected appears to add a certain immediacy to the narration. Such usage is fine in a chatty, colloquial style, even though a bit iffy by modern grammatical standards."

Similarly, Copy Editor reports in its December 2001--January 2002 issue:

"Few stylebooks offer guidance on this point, a fact that might help explain the lack of consensus in the responses to this question: 24 percent of respondents voted for the present tense, 34 percent voted for the past tense, and 3 percent apparently come to work every day with no rule whatsoever in mind. The remaining 40 percent of respondents voted for 'depends on context."'

Many Copy Editor subscribers among this last group who sent comments along with their responses "felt that spot news articles demand the use of the past tense whereas the present is more appropriate in features, columns, and the like."

One copy editor wrote that the present tense is simply "more personal."

While one respondent wrote that "she uses the present tense tense whenever quoting literature" [We call that "the Bible says" rule], another wrote that she doesn't use the present tense for "deceased speakers." Oddly, both seem to make sense.

Copy Editor, "looking for someone to lead the way out of the thicket," polled a few authorities by e-mail. "They all, it turned out, belong to the 'depends on context' school....

"Patricia T. O'Conner, the author of Woe Is I and Words Fail Me, cautioned that the present tense 'often seems mannered when used for writerly effect.' She added, 'Whichever tense you choose, be consistent, and don't mix your seds with your sezes."'

Copy Editor, Barbara Wallraff editor, 1010 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014, 888-626-8779, www.copyeditor.com.