gestures - He nodded his head yes; she shook her head no


Here I am editing this book I am trying to get ready for publication. I am running into a number of places where I've got nodding and shaking of the head in response to questions. The original author writes:



  • "I nodded my head yes."

  • "...she shook her head no..."


I am also seeing occasional "shake...yes" and "nod...no".


I'm reasonably certain that one shakes one's head for "No" and nods for "Yes". But how do you write it?



  • I nodded my head "Yes." - I shook my head "No."

  • I nodded my head yes. - I shook my head no.

  • I nodded my head "yes." - I shook my head "yes."


Or should the "Yes" or "No" even be included in the sentence, since the gesture substitutes for the affirmative or negative? If "Yes" or "No" does have a place there, how would it be best formatted?


EDITED TO ADD: I've edited this to make it clear that it is not merely a formatting issue with regard to "Yes" or "No".



Answer



I would say:



I nodded my head yes.



is the correct one. Because you're just nodding your head and that's it. Meanwhile, if you write it like this:



I nodded my head, "Yes."



That means that you're not only nodding your head, but also literally saying the word "yes".


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