The Basics
[1] Direct quotations
"I can't reach," Jack said.
Jack said, "I can't reach."
"Can you reach it?" Jack asked.
Jack asked, "Can you reach it?"
"Oh my gosh!" Jack screamed.
Jack screamed, "Oh my gosh!"
"I think," said Jack, "that you should stand on the chair." (Attributive interruption)
"I think"--Jack twiddled his button--"that you should do it." (Narrative interruption)
Beyond the Basics
[2] To indicate irony
His "cure" killed her.
Exception: do not use quotes if preceded by "so-called" or "namely."
His so-called cure killed her.
[3] To indicate a word used questionably or with meaning beyond the denotation
She arrived with her "friend."
[4] Can be used in place of italics to indicate word used as a word, instead of what it usually references (or a letter)
The word "hot" has three letters.
Is there an "E" in "Mississippi"?
Syntax
See usage "[1]" for the basic punctuation patterns for dialog.
Commas: trailing commas (when appropriate) are always placed inside the closing quotation mark.
"You are so cute," she said.
<wrong> "You are so cute", she said.
Periods: (when appropriate) always go inside the closing quotation mark.
She said, "You are so cute."
<wrong> She said, "You are so cute".
Question marks: when part of the quoted material, go inside the closing quotation mark.
She asked, "Who is he?"
<wrong> She asked, "Who is he"?
"Who is he?" she asked.
<wrong> "Who is he"? she asked.
<wrong> "Who is he," she asked?
But when the question mark refers to the surrounding sentence rather than the material in quotes, the question mark goes outside.
Have you attended the course titled "The Rise and Fall of Punctuation"?
Exclamation point: follows the same rules as the question mark.
"I hate you!" she screamed.
She screamed, "I hate you!"
I was so thrilled when he said, "The car is green"!
I couldn't believe that he yelled, "I hate you!"
Semicolons and colons, when adjacent to quotation marks, always go outside quotation marks.
Remember, start a new paragraph when you change speakers in alternating dialog.
Usage Key
Nothing too tricky here. Just be sure it's a direct quotation and not a paraphrasing.
Misuse
Do not use quotes around indirect quotations.
<wrong> He said that he "hated her."
Do not use quotes around thoughts.
<wrong> "I don't believe him," I thought
Some editors will swear that dialog should never include colons or semicolons. I personally disagree (and so do many established authors), but in any case,
they are best used sparingly.
Let's Talk Style
Many writers feel that the noun should generally precede the verb in a simple dialog tag.
"I can't see it," Jack said.
<less stylistic> "I can't see it," said Jack. (Though technically correct, this has a Dr. Suess feel to it.)
But for flow, if the tag is expanded, it is frequently preferable (and sometimes compulsory) to reverse the order.
"I can't see it," said Jack, the lookout.
Let's see how the pros use it
[1] Direct quotations
"I can't reach," Jack said.
Jack said, "I can't reach."
"Can you reach it?" Jack asked.
Jack asked, "Can you reach it?"
"Oh my gosh!" Jack screamed.
Jack screamed, "Oh my gosh!"
"I think," said Jack, "that you should stand on the chair." (Attributive interruption)
"I think"--Jack twiddled his button--"that you should do it." (Narrative interruption)
Beyond the Basics
[2] To indicate irony
His "cure" killed her.
Exception: do not use quotes if preceded by "so-called" or "namely."
His so-called cure killed her.
[3] To indicate a word used questionably or with meaning beyond the denotation
She arrived with her "friend."
[4] Can be used in place of italics to indicate word used as a word, instead of what it usually references (or a letter)
The word "hot" has three letters.
Is there an "E" in "Mississippi"?
Syntax
See usage "[1]" for the basic punctuation patterns for dialog.
Commas: trailing commas (when appropriate) are always placed inside the closing quotation mark.
"You are so cute," she said.
<wrong> "You are so cute", she said.
Periods: (when appropriate) always go inside the closing quotation mark.
She said, "You are so cute."
<wrong> She said, "You are so cute".
Question marks: when part of the quoted material, go inside the closing quotation mark.
She asked, "Who is he?"
<wrong> She asked, "Who is he"?
"Who is he?" she asked.
<wrong> "Who is he"? she asked.
<wrong> "Who is he," she asked?
But when the question mark refers to the surrounding sentence rather than the material in quotes, the question mark goes outside.
Have you attended the course titled "The Rise and Fall of Punctuation"?
Exclamation point: follows the same rules as the question mark.
"I hate you!" she screamed.
She screamed, "I hate you!"
I was so thrilled when he said, "The car is green"!
I couldn't believe that he yelled, "I hate you!"
Semicolons and colons, when adjacent to quotation marks, always go outside quotation marks.
Remember, start a new paragraph when you change speakers in alternating dialog.
Usage Key
Nothing too tricky here. Just be sure it's a direct quotation and not a paraphrasing.
Misuse
Do not use quotes around indirect quotations.
<wrong> He said that he "hated her."
Do not use quotes around thoughts.
<wrong> "I don't believe him," I thought
Some editors will swear that dialog should never include colons or semicolons. I personally disagree (and so do many established authors), but in any case,
they are best used sparingly.
Let's Talk Style
Many writers feel that the noun should generally precede the verb in a simple dialog tag.
"I can't see it," Jack said.
<less stylistic> "I can't see it," said Jack. (Though technically correct, this has a Dr. Suess feel to it.)
But for flow, if the tag is expanded, it is frequently preferable (and sometimes compulsory) to reverse the order.
"I can't see it," said Jack, the lookout.
Let's see how the pros use it
| Quotation Marks (") |
www.PunctuationMadeSimple.com
