The Punctuation of Dialogue

The Punctuation of Dialogue

Dialogue is a tricky thing. Not only is it quite hard to make characters sound believable, the punctuation of dialogue is a headache. Should the quotation be treated like a full sentence, or is it in the same sentence as the tag? And what if the tag is in the middle? In this text I will try to answer these questions.

But first: why should you use dialogue? Why wouldn’t narrative be sufficient for your story?

Well, the saying goes that silence can tell more than a thousand words. This may be true, but all human beings talk. They talk an awful lot. And if you tell a story about humans, you will have to make them talk or else they will not seem like humans. Furthermore, good dialogue makes the characters come alive, for the writer and even more so for the reader.

Therefore, in this guide, I will explain how to punctuate dialogue. The information in this text has been acquired from all over the Internet and I would like to thank the nameless authors of these documents for introducing me to the wondrous world of English punctuation.


Case I: the quotation before the tag

A piece of dialogue usually consists of two parts: what is said (the quotation); and a tag that states who said it and in what way. For example in the next sentence:

“I wonder if I will buy Rome: Total War,” mused Ludens.

The quotation is “I wonder if I will buy Rome: Total War” and the tag is “mused Ludens”.

There are three things you can note about the example:

1. The quotation is enclosed by quotation marks*. This rule applies to all quotations whether or not a tag is present, but only the exact words of the original sentence are enclosed by quotation marks. Indirect quotations (Ludens said that he wondered if he would buy Rome: Total War) have a different wording and are therefore not enclosed in quotation marks. However, when part of the indirect quotation contains the same words as the original sentence then that part can be enclosed within quotation marks. This is not obligatory, though.
2. Between the quotation and the tag is a comma. If the tag follows the quotation, the comma goes within the quotation marks.
3. The first word of the tag is not capitalized.

If the quotation had been a question or exclamation, the comma would have been replaced by a question or exclamation mark, but the first word of the tag would still not have been capitalized.

“Shall I buy Rome: Total War?” asked Ludens.
“I certainly shall!” he exclaimed.

(* This raises the question: which quotation marks? Single or double? This often depends on where the writer is from. In the U.S.A. double quotation marks are favoured, but U.K. writers generally use single. Double quotation marks have the advantage of being distinguishable from apostrophes, that other annoying little punctuation mark, so I recommend using them over the single ones. Some languages use other punctuation marks to indicate quotations, for example hyphen or double angled brackets, but this is not correct here. If you write in English, you should use English punctuation.)


Case II: the tag before quotation

Ludens continued, “My old computer probably cannot handle it.”

Here too there are three things you should note:

1. Again, a comma separates the tag and the quotation; but if the quotation follows the tag, the comma goes outside the quotation marks.
2. When a quotation is at the end of the sentence the period (or question mark or exclamation mark) goes inside the quotation marks. This rule applies to all quotations.
3. The first word of the quotation is capitalized.

Case III: dialogue without a tag

Off course, if the reader already knows who uttered the sentence, and in what way, then you can skip the tag. The dialogue is then simply treated as a single sentence with quotation marks on either side:

“But perhaps I could order Rome: Total War and if my computer turns out to be too slow, I’ll simply wait with playing until I can afford the upgrade.”


Case IV: the tag within a single sentence of dialogue

“No,” said Ludens in a determined voice, “it will be best if I save for an upgrade first and then buy Rome: Total War.”

This technique is not used often since a split in a sentence reads awkwardly, but you can use it if you want to emphasize the first word or part of a sentence. The rules are as follows:

1. On both sides of the tag are commas. The comma before the tag is within the quotation marks, the comma after it is outside, as you would expect from the above cases.
2. The first word of the tag is not capitalized.
3. The first word of the second piece of the quotation is not capitalized either.

Case V: the tag between two sentences of dialogue

“No, it will be best if I first save for an upgrade and then buy Rome: Total War,” Ludens said in a determined voice. “That way I can enjoy the graphical engine to its max.”

– or –

“No, it will be best if I first save for an upgrade and then buy Rome: Total War.” Ludens added, “That way I can enjoy the graphical engine to its max.”

As you can see here, this is actually a combination of case III with case I or case II respectively: a sentence of dialogue with a tag followed or preceded by a quotation without one. Just apply the rules for case III and II or I and give each sentence its own ending mark.


Case VI: multiple paragraphs

“However, I might try to play it on my old PC, though its specs are the same as the minimum requirements. But I did that once before and it ended in disaster. That was with Black & White. Good grief, it still pains me to think of all the trouble I went through to secure a copy of that game and get it running on my computer, and then finding out that the minimum specifications had been rather generously calculated. And all that for a game that was buggy and far less engaging than I had hoped. Why did the magazines make such a hype of it? Why was there no one who said that he was disappointed about the game? I am still angry when I think of it.

“That settles it: I am not again going to buy a game while I have only the minimum specifications. I shall suffer through all the exaggerated tales of fellow Org members and all their panegyrics on the battles, the gameplay, the cinematics and the great historical accuracy. I will save and save and save until I can afford a new computer and then I will join the RTW-fray. That’s what I shall do!”

If a character talks for long stretches, you will need to spread the dialogue over several paragraphs in order to prevent long, boring stretches of text without layout. Start a new paragraph when a character changes tone or subject, because you would expect a breath pause at these places. The guidelines are the same as for the other cases, but there are two additional rules:

1. Each time you start a new paragraph, make sure there is an empty line between the two paragraphs. This applies to normal paragraphs and dialogue-paragraphs. If you want a more ‘bookish’ look you can opt for an indent instead of the white line, but this forum does not react well to double spaces at the beginning of a sentence. The forum does have tags for indentation: [INDENT] for a large indent, [2SP] for a double space, [3SP] for a triple space, but placing these is a lot of work and you need to place the closing tags ([/ INDENT], [/ 2SP] and [/ 3SP], without the spaces following the slash) at the end of the sentences as well.
2. If a character has a speech that lasts several paragraphs, only the last paragraph requires a closing quotation mark. The first paragraphs lack a closing quotation mark to signify that the character is still talking.

It is recommended, but not obligatory, that you start a new paragraph whenever a new character starts speaking to avoid confusion about who is talking.


Case VII: quotations inside quotations

Ludens continued, “And when I have my new computer, I can proudly say, ‘I can play Rome: Total War with graphical detail at maximum and still get a proper frame rate.’ ”

Quotations within quotations are perfectly possible: just apply the same rules that apply to normal quotations. But do take care that for every opening quotation mark there is a closing quotation mark, and separate adjoining quotation marks with a space. It is also advisable that you use the other type of quotation marks to set off the internal quotation, as is done in the example, to prevent readers from getting lost. So, if you use double quotation marks, enclose the internal quotation with single quotation marks.

If the quotation or the ‘quotation inside the quotation’ is a question or exclamation, you should end with a question or exclamation mark.

Ludens continued, “When I have my new computer, shall I be able to say, ‘I can play Rome: Total War with graphical detail at maximum and still get a proper frame rate?’ ”
Ludens continued, “And when I have my new computer, I can proudly say, ‘I can play Rome: Total War with graphical detail at maximum, or can’t I?’ ”

A quotation inside a quotation inside a quotation is also possible, but I recommend against trying that. It is not grammatically wrong; it’s just hard to read.


Conclusion

This concludes my dialogue-primer. As you can see, quotations need to be treated as a sentence inside a sentence: the first word of the quotation is capitalized even if it is not the first word of the sentence, but the quotation does not have its own ending mark (apart from the closing quotation mark). If you remember this basic rule, everything in this guide should make sense.

I hope you found this text helpful and I wish you luck on any future stories you may embark on.


Ludens



Addendum
It was only after I wrote this guide that I became aware of the fact that there are two views on how to punctuate quotations. My guide takes the conventional view. However, there is another way to punctuate dialogue, called the logical view by its proponents. The logical view holds that a quotation should not contain any punctuation marks that were not present in the original sentence. Take for example this sentence:

Rome: Total War has already won many Game-of-the-Month awards and it will win many Game-of-the-Year awards this winter.

If I take the first part of this sentence and turn it into a quotation, the conventional views holds that is should be punctuated like this:

“Rome: Total War,” Ludens wrote, “has already won many Game-of-the-Month awards.”

However, when following the logical view, the sentence looks like this:

“Rome: Total War”, Ludens wrote, “has already won many Game-of-the-Month awards”.

Spot the two differences:

1. The comma closing the first part of the quotation is outside the quotation marks, since it did not appear in the original sentence.
2. The period is equally outside the quotation marks, because the quotation lacks the last part of the original sentence. Had I quoted the sentence in full however, the period would have been inside the quotation marks:

“Rome: Total War”, Ludens wrote, “has already won many Game-of-the-Month awards and it will win many Game-of-the-Year awards this winter.”

The same holds true for capitalisation. If the sentence does not begin with a capital letter, the quotation shouldn’t either. Also, the logical view does not hold with commas without a function between the quotation and the tag. In the above example, the commas around “Ludens wrote” are bracketing commas and as such should be included in the sentence, but in simple sentences with just a quotation and a tag, they should not used.

“At least, I think it will win many Game-of-the-Year awards” Ludens added.
He continued “It might just be that Half-Life 2 wins those, though.”

There is no grammatical reason to add a comma between the quotation and the tag. So why did I write that you should do it in the first place? Because it is the convention. The logical view has got logic on its side, but the conventional view is the one most publishers, and almost everyone else, uses. With the exception of a few linguists, nobody uses the logical view and that’s why I wasn’t aware of it when I wrote this guide. Therefore, with this addendum I want to rectify this situation and allow writers to choose for themselves which side they take.

But whichever side you choose, I wish you luck in your further career as writer.

Ludens
16 Oktober 2004

Working on this thread, I got the idea of a writer's recources topic with links and guides for better writing. We could put this guide in it, and perhaps I could do some more on punctuation. What do you think?

That would be a good idea as it may encourage new writers to present their work.

Also If what you wrote is true I must sympathise, for I too will need a new computer and must wait untill february till funds for a new computer to become available. :mercy

Very useful indded. thanks ludens.

Really useful, Ludens. Copied, pasted into word, and saved.

One thing, though. I think (correct me if I'm wrong, which is quite likely ~:dizzy: ) that US and UK grammar both prefer double quotation marks, but either is acceptable and publishers use single quotation marks to save ink.

Gah! I've hated punctuation ever since I had to copy from textbooks when I was seven - and when you're seven, copying out three quarters of a page of bland, boring text about Jill's trip to the zoo, then adding punctuation is... well, not hugely fun. If they'd had texts about knights and swords and crossbowmen and other things that are cool to a seven year old, I wouldn't have minded putting the apostrophes in ~:rolleyes: .

Excellent, Ludens !!

One of the many things I always wanted to know about the English language.
Copied and saved (and kept for potential children and grandchildern to learn from).

What is next? I really could do with a lesson on commas.

Add me to the list of people with a version saved to hard drive. Excellent work, Ludens.

I do wonder why they don't teach this kind of practical information in the UK, considering that grammar is the basic structure of our language. Axeknight should count himself lucky, I never even got 'advanced work' like Jill's trip to the zoo. Grammar quite simply wasn't taught, nor was spelling.

I think that the single and double speechmarks may have started as an English/American preference as Ludens said, but now it is a matter of preference. I suspect it has been like this for a few decades. I prefer to use the double because the single speech mark is identical to the apostrophe and this can lead to confusion.

Your idea for a thread discussing the assorted technicalities of writing is a good one. It appears the interest is here.

Great Information Ludens, very helpful indeed!

Quote:

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Working on this thread, I got the idea of a writer's recources topic with links and guides for better writing. We could put this guide in it, and perhaps I could do some more on punctuation. What do you think?

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I think that is a great idea. A thread like that would be perfect and may just encourage more people to try their hand at posting here.

Everyone, thank you for your support, it is really appreciated. I now feel confident enough to try and have a go at a general punctuation guide. Though I can't promise to finish it before the holidays end ~D .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Axeknight

I think (correct me if I'm wrong, which is quite likely ~:dizzy: ) that US and UK grammar both prefer double quotation marks, but either is acceptable and publishers use single quotation marks to save ink.

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Welcome back, Axeknight! You may well be right about this, it was just an observation affirmed by what I found on the internet: American authors used double quotation marks while British / Canadian writers generally chose for single ones. A check of my bookcase revealed the absence of any American author (except for the books of my university course, which frankly don't contain much in the way of dialogue), but the British ones always chose for single quotation marks. With the marked exception of a Jane Austen, that is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ludens

Welcome back, Axeknight!

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Thanks! Fitzjohn part eight is coming along nicely, but I reckon with the increased workload this term (GCSEs ~:( ), it won't be updated as much (double ~:( )

Back on topic. A grammar and punctuation guide would be great for the mead hall. When I decided to post part one of what would later become Fitzjohn, that was one of the things that worried me. A guide would help first-time storytellers no end. Which means more stories ~:) (and less revision by me ~:rolleyes: )!

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Originally Posted by Axeknight

A grammar and punctuation guide would be great for the mead hall. When I decided to post part one of what would later become Fitzjohn, that was one of the things that worried me. A guide would help first-time storytellers no end. Which means more stories ~:) (and less revision by me ~:rolleyes: )!

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Since you are the second person to ask for a grammar guide I think I need to explain my reasons why I am not going to do that. A complete grammar guide is going to cost much of my time and the holidays are almost over. One of the reasons my interpunction project has put on hold is the fact that these are the last days of my holidays and I want to enjoy them before heading of the university again (the other reason is that the two documents I wanted to use as basis turned out to be incomplete, and I need to find more material).

Also, I have no basis to work on. The books from which I learned English have long since been returned to the secondary school.

However, I do think I have found what you are looking for. It is not a full grammar guide but it deals with the grammar of writing. It is called 'The Elements of Style' by William Strunk, jr. You can find the link to it here: The Elements of Style.
The document is rather dry and old-fashioned, and it takes until the third chapter before it gets interesting, but Strunk gives a useful tips about what kind of constructions to use or avoid. Keep in mind that Strunk's guide was ment for formal documents, so if you are writing dialogue you can (and should) wilfully break his rules to create a more lively, informal atmosphere.

I hope this helps.

Well, i have decided to put this thread at sticky, it's far to valuable for first time visitors of the hall to miss out on just because it has sliped to page 2. again good work Ludens :medievalcheers:

I have just made a major update to the 'Punctuation of Dialogue'. In now includes another case (case III), an addendum and numerous small changes to the other cases.

About the complete punctuation guide: I am working on it. Unfortunately, progress is hampered by the fact that I am busy learning a new language. Well, new is perhaps not the right term since it is the oldest language on this planet: the language of the human genome. And it is quite a complicated language, let me tell you ~D . I've collected all the information I need and started writing the guide, but I haven't gotten far. At this stage, I have no idea how long it will take to finish it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ludens

Everyone, thank you for your support, it is really appreciated. I now feel confident enough to try and have a go at a general punctuation guide. Though I can't promise to finish it before the holidays end ~D .


Welcome back, Axeknight! You may well be right about this, it was just an observation affirmed by what I found on the internet: American authors used double quotation marks while British / Canadian writers generally chose for single ones. A check of my bookcase revealed the absence of any American author (except for the books of my university course, which frankly don't contain much in the way of dialogue), but the British ones always chose for single quotation marks. With the marked exception of a Jane Austen, that is.

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Older books (books that were printed quite some time ago) all have double quotations. Publishers must have changed it for some reason

In proper/formal english writing double quotes are used for a first quotation and single quotes are used for quotes within quotes. For example "Well Billy said, 'I hate peaches' and then he died."

I saved it too. After all, my weak point is grammar. In french, I'm okay, but in English, I'm awful. We only learn to spell the irregular verbs...... eww...... I prefer learning on the forums, why not? LOL!

Ty again for this, Ludens. I'll try to put in use what I've learned. Thanks again!

That stuff brings back memories! I did an assignment on all that in my final year at school.

:2thumbsup: Very helpful! I've just saved it in my comp.

Interesting, informative and a pleasure to read.

Other thing to say here, it isnt about the punctuation of dialogue, is the use of Caps Lock to yield(is that well said?) something:

For example:
Caius becomes angry and he yield:
I dont want to see you never more!, Caius yield

or

I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU NEVER MORE!, Caius said.

I hope you understand.

Caius

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caius Flaminius

Other thing to say here, it isnt about the punctuation of dialogue, is the use of Caps Lock to yield(is that well said?) something:

For example:
Caius becomes angry and he yield:
I dont want to see you never more!, Caius yield

or

I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU NEVER MORE!, Caius said.

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Do you mean to indicate yelling? It's used commonly on the internet, but I am afraid it's not correct: if you want to indicate an exclamation, you should use an exclamation mark. Capitalizing an entire sentence or using multiple exclamation marks (another common error) is overkill as well as bad style. However, I doubt people will notice this if you do it on an internet forum ~D .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

I do wonder why they don't teach this kind of practical information in the UK, considering that grammar is the basic structure of our language. Axeknight should count himself lucky, I never even got 'advanced work' like Jill's trip to the zoo. Grammar quite simply wasn't taught, nor was spelling.

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I am beginning to be taught grammar at my 6th form for the first time although it is only the theory of grammar, when to use superlatives and such nonsense. The basics were just trial and error, if you had a big X on your English work you had to ask the teacher what you did wrong. :book:

Three books I found very helpful during university:

The Oxford Guide to Writing
Chicago Manual of Style
Prentice-Hall: Handbook for Writers

Thorough, easy to navigate, and cover pretty much any question regarding grammar, punctuation and style...but none as tightly focused as Ludens' guide:yes: