“Explain how the puppets keep talking when you take a drink of water.”Īs for general punctuation, periods (.) and commas (,) are always placed within quotation marks exclamation points (!) and question marks (?) are placed within quotation marks if they are part of the dialogue or quotation. Place a period at the end of a sentence of dialogue only if it is the end of the sentence, as so: INCORRECT: “Hurry, or we’ll be late for the puppet show.” she said.ĬORRECT: “I’m literally the ventriloquist they can’t start without me,” he said. Improper Punctuation (CMOS 6.9, CMOS 13.7)īeginning writers often mistakenly place the period where a comma should be when using dialogue tags.
DIALOGUE TAGS SYNONYM HOW TO
Here are a few of the most common dialogue mistakes and how to fix them. While CMOS presents the rules of speech, dialogue, and conversation as clear-cut, the subject can be a little confusing. “Well, nothing will be solved by moping.” (em dash) Common Dialogue Mistakes If dialogue or a thought is interrupted, then an em dash is used instead of an ellipsis. Similarly, if part of a text in a direct quote is omitted, an ellipsis is used to indicate this. If dialogue trails off or falters due to confusion, insecurity, or other fragmented feelings, an ellipsis is used to indicate this faltering speech or incomplete thought. (indirect discourse) Faltering Speech or Incomplete Thoughts (CMOS 13.41) (direct discourse) He could never say no to her. Whether they are enclosed in quotation marks or not depends on if they are part of direct or indirect discourse. Words used by themselves include but are not limited to yes, no, where, how, why, and when. And if you do use italics, make sure you’re not using them at excessive lengths, since this might make it hard to read. It’s a good idea, though, to use one or the other, not both. Some writers choose an italic font instead. Otherwise, it might be difficult to differentiate between the narrator and the character.Īs mentioned earlier, you can choose whether or not to use quotation marks with unspoken discourse. The beginning of the thought is capitalized. I thought, Do kittens like wearing sweaters? However, the first word of the thought itself is always capitalized. Whether or not to use quotation marks corresponds to the writer’s preference. Unspoken DiscourseĪlso called interior discourse, unspoken discourse is used for thought, imagined dialogue, and stream-of-consciousness writing-like the voiceover of a character’s thoughts in a movie.
Hence, the second example does not need additional punctuation to show that it’s a quotation. While the first example quotes exactly what Tom said, the second summarizes the dialogue without quoting it directly. Tom suggested we buy tiny sweaters for our kittens. “We should buy tiny sweaters for our kittens,” Tom said. Indirect discourse does not call for quotation marks of any kind. You might think of it as the narrator explaining a conversation. On the other hand, indirect discourse summarizes the quote or dialogue that would otherwise be in quotation marks. “Anyway, what are your lunch plans?” Indirect Discourse It was great to learn more about robotic mice. “I thought this was an interesting essay topic. If the speaker continues for more than one paragraph, quotation marks are placed at the beginning of each new paragraph, and ending quotation marks are placed only at the end of the final paragraph, as follows: Here, when a new character speaks, the dialogue is placed in a new paragraph to clarify that a second person is now talking. “Have you seen the alien spacecraft above the city?” In US grammar, all dialogue is enclosed in double quotation marks, and each new speaker is indicated by a new paragraph. Think of this as the lines an actor might deliver in a play or movie.
Direct Discourseĭirect discourse is used when quoting a source directly or when writing the exact dialogue for a character. There are three main types of written speech, and each comes with its own set of grammatical rules. Direct, Indirect, and Unspoken Discourse (CMOS 13.39–13.45) From the many types of discourse to faltering speech, the CMOS is your go-to guide for written conversation.
DIALOGUE TAGS SYNONYM MANUAL
Luckily, The Chicago Manual of Style is here to help. Should you use double or single quotes? Do you need a comma? Where do you put the ending punctuation? Whether you’re creating character dialogue or quoting nonfiction, writing speech can be a difficult job to tackle. Originally published on The Scribe Source blog on Sept.
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