How to place punctuation marks in dialogue

Video: Commas in dialogue | Punctuation | Grammar | Khan Academy

Content

Steps
Part 1 of 3: Basic writing
Part 2 of 3: Using Different Punctuation
Part 3 of 3: Mastering the Subtleties
Warnings

Direct speech is an important element in fiction, as it gives a more complete picture of the characters, shows their interaction, and makes the story more alive. While some writers, such as Ernest Hemingway or Raymond Carver, rely heavily on dialogue, others use direct speech less frequently. However, before using dialogue in your work, it is important to know how to place punctuation marks in it. Knowing just a few basic rules can make your written presentation look more professional and meaningful. The following rules apply to punctuation of direct speech and dialogues in English.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Basic writing

1 Use punctuation marks for a sentence that ends with a quote from the dialogue. When you record dialogue, the most important thing is to remember to quote the words of the dialogue and mark the end of the dialogue with a comma before the closing quote if you are going to mark or highlight it for the speaker. The most common way to emphasize a dialogue is to use a comma after the closing quotation mark, then the verb and the name or pronoun of the person who is pronouncing the words, or a sequence of the name and the verb. Here are some examples:
- “I want to spend my entire day reading in bed,” Mary said.
- “I want to spend my entire day reading in bed,” Mary said. (option for Russian)
- “I wish I did, but I have to work,” Tom said.
- “You can rest on the weekend,” Mary replied.
2 Place punctuation marks in a sentence that begins with direct speech. When you start a sentence with a quote, the same rules apply, except that you use the verb and pronoun at the beginning of the sentence, separated by a comma and an opening quote, followed by direct speech, a period or other form of closing punctuation, and a closing quote. Here are some examples:
- Mary said, "I think I have muffins for breakfast."
- ’Mary said,“ I think I’ll have muffins for breakfast. ” (option for Russian)
- Tom replied, "Do you think this is the most useful option?"
- She said, “Absolutely not. But this is what makes it attractive. "
3 Place punctuation marks in a sentence where direct speech is in the middle. Another way to highlight direct speech is to write a sentence with dialogue in the middle. This helps to pause to continue the sentence. To do this, you should emphasize the first part of the sentence as usual, except that you do not need to end the period, but instead use a comma to add the second part of the phrase. It must be remembered that you do not need to capitalize the second part of a sentence or statement. Here are some examples:
- “I'd love to run,” Mary said, “but I'd rather sit in this rocking chair.”
- “I would like to run,” Mary said. "But I'd rather sit in this rocking chair." (option for Russian)
- “There are things that are more attractive than sitting in a rocking chair,” Tom said, “but sometimes it turns out that running is all you need.”
- “I need to run as long as…” said Mary, “I have a stone in my shoe.”
4 Place punctuation marks where direct speech goes between two sentences. This is another way to highlight direct speech, when you select the first sentence as usual, using a period at the end, and then start a new sentence without tying direct speech to anyone. It will be clear from the context that the same person is speaking. Here are some examples:
- “The new girl at school seems nice,” Mary said. "I would like to get to know her better."
- “The new girl at school seems nice,” Mary said. "I would like to know her better." (option for Russian)
- “I thought she was a little arrogant,” Tom said. "This is very generous of you."
- “I don’t know about that,” Mary replied. “I just want to give people a chance. And you should try. "
5 Highlight dialogue without quotations. Most dialogues don't need quotations at all. The context should make it clear who is speaking. You can also mention the people who spoke in the following sentences so that the identity of the speaker can be guessed. You don't need your readers to try to track or move backwards to figure out which of the two is speaking at a given moment in the unquoted dialogue. At the same time, you do not need unnecessary statements like "she said" or "he said" in every sentence. Here are some examples: # *"I think she no longer works." Mary was twirling her pen in her hands.
- Tom looked at the floor. "How can you say that?"
- “I can say that because I see it. It doesn't work, Tom.How can you not notice this? "
- "I guess I'm blind."

Part 2 of 3: Using Different Punctuation

1 Use punctuation in direct speech with a question mark. To highlight direct speech with a question mark, simply place a question mark in front of the closing quotation mark, replacing the usual period. The trick is that it may look unusual, you have to mark the direct speech with the word "said (a)" with a small letter or another verbal verb, since technically it is part of one sentence. Alternatively, you can highlight the question at the beginning of the sentence, or put it separately. Here are some examples:
- "Why didn't you come to my birthday?" Mary asked.
- “Why didn't you come to my birthday?” Mary asked. (option for Russian)
- Tom replied, “I thought we broke up. Is not it so?"
- “Since when has this reason been a good excuse for not attending someone’s party?”
- "What could be better than this reason?" said Tom.
2 Place punctuation marks in direct speech with an exclamation mark. To use an exclamation mark in your sentences, follow the same rules as for adding a period or question mark. Most writers will tell you that exclamation marks do not need to be used often, and that the sentence and the story itself should convey excitement. However, the rare exclamation mark won't hurt anyone. Here are some examples:
- “Can't wait until the end of summer to go back to school!” exclaimed Mary.
- "Can't wait until the end of summer to go back to school!" - exclaimed Mary. (option for Russian)
- "I also!" said Tom. "It's so boring at home."
- Mary said, “Who are you talking to! I single-handedly started collecting 3 collections of ants this month. ”
3 Highlight direct speech with quotation marks inside it. This might be a little tricky and won't be used as often, but it can be helpful to know how to emphasize direct speech with quotes inside. Just use single quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quoted phrase, which can be the title of a work of art or a quote attributed to another person. Here are some examples:
- “My favorite Hemingway story is 'Hills are like white elephants,'” Mary said.
- “My favorite Hemingway story is Hills Like White Elephants,” Mary said. (option for Russian)
- “Isn't our English teacher saying this is‘ the world's most boring story ’?” asked Tom.
4 Place punctuation marks in interrupted direct speech. If you are recording a dialogue between two people, then if you want to be believable, you can portray them as not always polite and waiting for their turn to speak. Sometimes they can interrupt each other in the middle of the phrase, as it happens in reality. To show this interruption, you can use a dash at the end of the interrupted phrase so that it is clear that the interruption is coming from the person of the speaker, and think about putting a dash at the beginning of the phrase if it was continued again. Here are some examples:
- Tom said, "I thought to call, but I was too busy and -"
- Tom said, "I thought to call, but I was too busy and ..." (option for Russian)
- “I'm tired of your excuses,” Mary said. “Every time you don’t call -”
- “It's completely different,” Tom said. "I promise."

Part 3 of 3: Mastering the Subtleties

1 Place punctuation marks in sentences with indirect speech. Not all dialogues need to be clearly articulated and enclosed in quotation marks. Sometimes it doesn't matter what the character said, but you need to get to the general meaning of the statement. This can give readers a little relief if they get tired of direct speech, and make it easier to express words that are best expressed indirectly. Here are some examples:
- He told her he didn't want to go to the park.
- She said that she didn't care if he went with her or not.
- He replied that it was time for her to stop being so sensitive every time.
2 Use the dialogue tag to highlight the pause. Another thing you can do is interrupt the phrase with a dialogue tag to pause or indicate that the speaker is pondering or trying to find what to say. This can sometimes help add tension and a sense of realism; not everyone can come up with the perfect phrase on command. Here are some examples:
- “Well,” Sarah said. "I guess there is nothing more to say."
- "Well," Sarah said. "I think there is nothing more to say." (option for Russian)
- “I knew that,” Jerry replied. "I just wanted you to figure it out for yourself."
3 Place the signs of a dialogue that uses multiple sentences. You don't have to highlight each sentence separately, or make it seem like one character always speaks one sentence at a time. Sometimes the characters say a lot more, and you can show it, just quote one phrase after another until the character has said all of his words; then, you can simply place punctuation at the end of the last sentence, or assign speech to the character using direct speech features. This is how it will look:
- “I've had a long day. Who wants to come with me and see the improvisation group? " Mary asked.
- “I've had a long day. Who wants to come with me and see the improvisation group? " - asked Mary. (option for Russian)
- Jake replied, “I'd rather spend every day with my dog than at work. The dog is so helpless without me. "
4 Emphasize dialogue that contains many paragraphs. Sometimes a character can speak several paragraphs in a row, without stopping. To highlight this correctly, you should open the quotation marks for the first paragraph, write down all of the character's words, and end the paragraph with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. Then, start the second paragraph in open quotation marks and continue until the character has finished speaking. When this happens, just close the quotation marks, add the period as usual. Do this:
- (Paragraph 1 :) “I really wanted to tell you about my friend Bill ... he's so crazy.
- (Paragraph 2 :) Bill has his own cactus farm, but he sold it to live on a yacht. Then he sold the boat to build the castle, but he got tired of it all and decided to sail across the Atlantic Ocean instead. ”
5 Highlight the dialogue with dashes instead of commas. Not every country uses quotation marks to indicate a character's words. Instead, some countries, such as Russia, France or Spain, rely on the use of a dash to indicate someone's words. In this case, you do not need to put a sign of direct speech, but trust the reader so that he understands himself who is speaking. If you use this, you will have to use a dash throughout the entire piece. This takes some practice, but it can be interesting if you do it like this. Below is an example:
- “I think I’ll have to leave.
- - So that's great.
- - Okay, see you soon.
6 Consider using verbs other than "said (a)" in direct speech. Writers like Hemingway or Carver rarely use a verb other than "said (s)," but you can sometimes use a different verb that is more appropriate. Since there is no need to tire your reader with complex or convoluted verbs such as “inquired” or “doubted,” you can sometimes use other verbs to refresh your speech. Here are some examples:
- “I fell in love with my yoga teacher,” Lacey told her.
- “I fell in love with my yoga teacher,” Lacey told her. (option for Russian)
- Mary asked, "Isn't he too old for you?"
- “Age is just a number,” Lacey replied.