Dialogue and Dialogue and Quotation MarksQuotation Marks

Direct Quotations:Direct Quotations: Use quotes to Use quotes to surround the surround the information that is to information that is to be directly cited, this be directly cited, this includes what a includes what a person says. person says.

If you introduce a If you introduce a speaker, separate it speaker, separate it with a comma. with a comma.

Capitalize the first Capitalize the first letter in the quote if letter in the quote if it is the beginning of it is the beginning of a sentence.a sentence.

Ex: The monster Ex: The monster said, “Why am I so said, “Why am I so ugly?”ugly?”

Ex: “Because,” the Ex: “Because,” the doctor replied, “you doctor replied, “you are a wretched are a wretched monster.”monster.”

Notice that there are Notice that there are commas around both commas around both sides of sides of the doctor the doctor repliedreplied because the because the sentence being sentence being quoted is continued. quoted is continued.

Ex: “No,” it said. “I Ex: “No,” it said. “I am not wretched!”am not wretched!”

--In this case, --In this case, NoNo is is an interjection and an interjection and should be ended should be ended with a punctuation with a punctuation mark, but the mark, but the comma is used, comma is used, and the and the punctuation punctuation moved to after the moved to after the explanatory explanatory remark. remark.

What is wrong What is wrong with this with this example:example:

He said “I don’t He said “I don’t want to hear want to hear you whine you whine about how you about how you don’t want to don’t want to be wretched”! be wretched”!

Always place commas and periods Always place commas and periods inside quotation marks. inside quotation marks.

Colons and semicolons belong outside Colons and semicolons belong outside quotation marks. quotation marks.

Place an exclamation mark or a Place an exclamation mark or a question mark inside the quotation question mark inside the quotation marks if it is a part of the quote; marks if it is a part of the quote;

if it is a part of the sentence (not the if it is a part of the sentence (not the quote), put it outside the quotation quote), put it outside the quotation marks; marks;

if both, use only one inside the quotes.if both, use only one inside the quotes.

Ex: He said, “I think so”; Ex: He said, “I think so”; however, I’m not sure if he however, I’m not sure if he was or not.was or not.

--Note the semicolon --Note the semicolon outside the quote.outside the quote.

Ex: Did he say, “I don’t know”? Ex: Did he say, “I don’t know”?

--“--“I don’t know”I don’t know” is not a question, so the is not a question, so the question mark goes outside.question mark goes outside.

Ex: Did he ask, “What do you think?” Ex: Did he ask, “What do you think?”

--Notice that both the quote and the sentence --Notice that both the quote and the sentence are questions with one interior question are questions with one interior question mark. mark.

Use single Use single quotation quotation marks around marks around quotes within quotes within a quote.a quote.

Ex: He said, “I Ex: He said, “I think he told me think he told me to ‘Go jump in a to ‘Go jump in a lake.’” lake.’”

Ex: The teacher told Ex: The teacher told us, “My mom always us, “My mom always said, ‘Play with bulls, said, ‘Play with bulls, get gored.’” get gored.’”

Ex: She said, “I Ex: She said, “I heard Billy say, ‘Gert heard Billy say, ‘Gert said, “She’s said, “She’s smelly.”’”smelly.”’”

Woah! That

makes my head

spin!

P-P-Paragraphing!P-P-Paragraphing!

When writing dialogue, start When writing dialogue, start a new paragraph and a new a new paragraph and a new set of quotations whenever set of quotations whenever the speaker changes. the speaker changes.

Tip: You don’t always need to write “he said..” or “Billy said….” Sometimes it is implied and can be easily figured out by the reader.

That helps when the “he said” thing becomes monotonous.

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If a speaker talks If a speaker talks over multiple over multiple paragraphs, leave paragraphs, leave the end of the the end of the paragraph open (no paragraph open (no quote mark), but put quote mark), but put a quote mark in at a quote mark in at the beginning of the the beginning of the next paragraph of next paragraph of dialogue.dialogue.

This excerpt is taken from

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

•Put unknown or unusual slang or expressions in quotes. Put directly stated definitions in quotes.

•Ex: I yelled at my sister for saying “cut the cheese”; it’s slang that means “flatulence.”

MLA and CitationMLA and Citation You can mold your quote into part

of your sentence; don’t use commas. Ex: According to Doc, everyone must

“watch that lovable cat and delightful mouse” on Feb 2 (45).

Remember MLA citation: end quote open parentheses author name page number End parentheses period

Examples of MLA: Harold Bloomfeld writes, “It’s a matter

of semantics” (73).

It was on a rainy day that “the world learned of the tragedy that befell young Djiboutians” (Marsden 67).

John Farquhar is an expert in tree fungus and claims that there are more than “forty-thousand types of tree fungus, two-hundred of which emanate a phosphorescent glow” (383).

Vernacular Vernacular

Be very careful Be very careful of writing in the of writing in the vernacular, or a vernacular, or a character’s character’s dialect. Mark dialect. Mark Twain was great Twain was great at it, but it is at it, but it is very difficult to very difficult to do. do.

“ “Ayuh, I guess Ayuh, I guess that I’d be a that I’d be a goo-in out ta da goo-in out ta da bahn wheya I’d bahn wheya I’d be a findin’t dat be a findin’t dat deya ol’ heiffah. deya ol’ heiffah. She’s a wicked She’s a wicked gawgiss ol’ buh-gawgiss ol’ buh-id, tain’t she?”id, tain’t she?”

Put quotes around:Put quotes around:

titles of short stories titles of short stories short poems short poems short songs short songs newspaper/magazine articles newspaper/magazine articles book chaptersbook chapters single episode titles of TV shows. single episode titles of TV shows.

UnderlineUnderline or or italicizeitalicize titles for…titles for…

books books long poems long poems plays, films plays, films TV series TV series paintings paintings long songslong songs

name of ships, name of ships, planes, spacecraft planes, spacecraft

newspapers and newspapers and magazine namesmagazine names

court cases court cases Also italicize Also italicize

anything in a anything in a foreign language or foreign language or a direct reference a direct reference to a word. to a word.