|
|
|
One puzzling area for most new (and some not-so-new) writers is dialogue punctuation. It looks quite complicated, but really, its not. Here are some guidelines: A tag line (he/she said) should usually come at the end of the sentence, like this: Where should we go today? asked Timmy. Im ready to go fishing, said Jack. Notice the punctuation that ends each quotation. Questions or exclamations should always be followed by question marks or exclamation points. The quotation in a declarative sentence (a statement) requires a comma at the end of the quote. Both examples are completed with a period at the end of the tag line to complete the sentence. Never put tag lines first, and never write, Jack said. Im not sure why, but its become a convention to write the said before the speaker. Sometimes, for flow or clarity, you may want to insert tag lines into a broken quote, like this: Mommy, Paula said, can I have a glass of water? Notice that the beginning of the quote ends with a comma, as does the tag line. The continuation of the quote begins with lower case. Why? Because the sentence doesnt stop until you get to the end of the entire quotation, and since its a question, it ends with a question mark. If you remember these rules, youll be golden: * End questions or exclamations inside a quotation with question marks or exclamation points and statements with periods. * End tag lines with periods, unless theyre contained within a broken quotation. * In a broken quotation, use a comma at the end of the break and at the end of the tag line. Resume the quote in lower case. Use the appropriate punctuation mark to close (period, question mark, exclamation point). * Remember that periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks, but question marks and exclamation points go inside only if theyre part of the quote. Not so hard, eh? Its also best to use said most often with tag lines. Too many exclaimeds, replies, questioneds, etc. only serve to distract readers. Keep it simple. And never use an action to close your quote. Heres what I mean: I miss my puppy, Tom sighed. Nobody I know can gasp, giggle, huff, or shrug words. Instead, make the quotation and the action two distinct sentences: I miss my puppy. Tom sighed. Sometimes, you shouldnt use a tag line at all. When two people are conversing and have only a few lines, you dont need a tag line, as long as readers will understand who is speaking. Yet, insert tag lines anytime you think it may not be clear. Getting your dialogue punctuation correct is a big turn on for editors. Well, it was for me because so many new writers have trouble with the procedure. But I can honestly say that when I saw it done right, I took a harder look at the story. Buck up! Its really NOT that bad. |
加入最爱