If Same Person Talks Twice in Wring Do You It Enter When They Speak Again

Virginia has been a university English language instructor for over twenty years. She specializes in helping people write essays faster and easier.

Goal in Punctuating Conversation

When y'all write a conversation, your most of import goal is making sure your reader understands who is talking. The following rules are easy to follow and volition brand sure that your reader doesn't have to backtrack in the story (isn't that annoying?) to find out who said what!

half dozen Punctuation Rules

1. Indent each fourth dimension a new person speaks.

2. Make it articulate who is speaking.

iii. Quotation marks only effectually speech.

4. Aforementioned speaker? No new paragraph.

5. Use Variety

half-dozen. Long quotations are special.

Apply Emotional Words for "Said"

"Exercise you understand soldier!" hollered the captain. "Aye, sir!" retorted the recruit.

skeeze, CC0 Public Domain via Pixaby

ane. Indent Each Time a New Person Speaks

This dominion trips up many of my students. Every fourth dimension a new person is speaking, you need to start a new paragraph and indent. Remember:

• If the person but speaks a word or brusk phrase, y'all still demand to indent.
• Include any description which accompanies the action of that person in the paragraph with that quote.

Here is an example:

George said, "Jane, did you hear that noise last nighttime?" George nudged her when she didn't reply.

"Hear what?" asked Jane, "You hateful your snoring?"

George glared at her, "How could I accept heard it if I was asleep snoring? Y'all e'er call up everything bad is my fault!"

Jane knew she was grumpy because she hadn't slept well and she wished George would agree to go to the slumber center to exist tested for sleep apnea, but she didn't feel similar getting into a fight right now. Softly, she touched his arm. "I'grand sorry, George," she said. "What do you retrieve yous heard?"

Giving her a peck on the cheek, George ruefully grinned, "You're probably right. I must take woken myself up. Where's the number for that sleep md?"

Why indent? It helps the reader to follow the chat and know when a new person is speaking. In a moving picture or real conversation, the visual and audio clues hands let usa know when a new person is talking. In writing, you lot employ punctuation and formatting instead.

In the above instance, the name of the person was used in each paragraph; withal, sometimes, when the dialogue is fast, you may omit the names of the speakers in curt sentences. By indenting each line, the reader tin still know who is speaking.

two. Be Articulate About Who is Speaking

At that place isn't a firm rule nigh how many times you need to say the proper noun of the speaker. Instead, the rule is that your reader shouldn't go dislocated and have to re-read. If you are doing a brusk dialogue with merely two people, say their names every v-6 sentences or so.

Here is an example:

"Are you lot awake, George?" asked Jane.

"What?"

"I said, are you awake?

"I am now."

Curl to Proceed

Read More than From Owlcation

"What does that mean?"

"It means, you lot woke me up!" muttered George angrily, turning over in bed and uttering a very loud sigh.

"Oh."

"So, what exercise you desire?" he sputtered.

"Nix," said Jane, turning over and pulling the covers over her caput. "Get back to sleep."

"You lot drive me crazy!"

Words Tin Speak a Chiliad Pictures

Be sure to use bright adjectives and words for said to picture the chat for the reader.

Skeeze, CC0 Public Domain via Pixaby

iii. Quotation Marks Effectually Speech

Quotation marks show two things:

1. Someone is starting to speak.
2. Someone is stopping speaking.

Therefore, when y'all use quotation marks, be sure to put them right before the words someone says and right afterward. You never include the name of the person speaking within the quotation marks (as I have i-2 students do each year). Here is an example:

Wrong: "George said I will pick up the laundry today on the way home from work."

"Smashing, then I will get u.s. some Chinese have-out for dinner, Sally replied."

Right: George said, " I will selection up the laundry today on the way dwelling from work."

"Great, Then I volition go united states some Chinese accept-out for dinner," Sally replied.

4. New Speaker Ways New Paragraph

Sometimes, a lot of description or other information might come in between the words someone is speaking. In that case, you need to remember:

1. Quotation marks become effectually speech starting and stopping.
2. If the same person is speaking, you don't need to get-go a new paragraph.

Here is an case with the dialogue underlined:

Steve, my husband's French cousin, had an unusual haircut: rounded in front, sticking upwards on top, and curt all over. "Apparently French," said my husband, "very sophisticated, very absurd." I was somewhat less impressed, only I could tell my husband was thinking about asking me to cut his hair that way. Finally, he confessed, "I was going to ask you to cut my pilus like Steve's, because I idea it might brand me expect at bit more debonair. I've changed my heed though, after his sister told me that their mother cuts his hair and everyone at school makes fun of him."

"Oh . . . uh, sorry," I said. I'd been trying to imagine what my hubby would look similar with a brown bowl on his caput. "Estimate even the French like to save coin."

v. Use Variety in Words for "Said"

There is nothing more boring than dialogue that always uses "he said" and "she said" or conversations that always put the speaker commencement. That kind of sentence writing just works for beginning reader books. Here is how you brand your dialogue sound sophisticated and professional person:

one. Use Variety in Where You Put Speaker. Making your dialogue pop means using a diversity. Start of all, you can vary where you put the speaker. You lot can put this information at the beginning, in the eye, or at the end of a sentence. Examples:

• The get-go of the sentence:

Finally, he confessed, "I was going to ask you to cut my hair like Steve'southward because I thought it might brand me expect at a fleck more than debonair. I've inverse my heed, however, afterwards his sister told me that their mother cuts his hair and everyone at school makes fun of him."

• The cease of the sentence:

"Oh . . . uh, lamentable," I said.

• In the middle:

"Apparently French," said my husband, "very sophisticated, very cool."

2. Use Diversity in words used for "said." Another important way that you can brand great dialogue is to use many different words for said that give the emotion of the person.

3. Employ Intensifying Words: You tin can likewise add together adverbs (ly words) like "surprisingly," "rapidly" and "seriously" to intensify that emotion. See the charts beneath for examples of words for said and adverbs.

Words for Said

said	happy words	question words	angry words	sad words
told	whispered	asked	demanded	cried
reminded	laughed	replied	yelled	lamented
interrupted	joked	queried	ordered	groaned
explained	giggled	argued	thundered	rembled
spoke	jested	answered	fumed	stammered
stated	chatted	responded	screamed	shuddered

Adjectives to Use With Words for Said

charily said	boastfully said	emotionally said	how it is said
advisedly	accusingly	gigglingly	softly
doubtfully	commandingly	laughingly	loudly
apologetically	smirkingly	sobbingly	gently
coaxingly	rantingly	cheerfully	dramatically
confidingly	sassily	pleadingly	encouragingly
speculatively	scoffingly	compassionately	wonderingly

six. Rules for Long Quotes

Ok, I know everyone wants to be special only long quotations really are special and hither are a few punctuation tips:

Use regular paragraph format for long quotes. Unlike quoting a literary or news source, when you are using conversation, yous do not have to indent on the right-hand side for a long quote. You just use the regular paragraph format.

Use quotation marks just for the start and end of the quote. Normally, yous will have many shorter quotations with a description in betwixt. However, sometimes you may have a person speaking without interruption for a long time as they are telling a story. The mode you lot punctuate this is different. If a person speaks for more than one paragraph yous:

• Put quotation marks before their first word.
• Don't put a quotation marking at the cease of that paragraph if they are nonetheless speaking without suspension in the next paragraph.
• Instead, put quotation marks at the start of the side by side paragraph to signal they are still speaking.
• Put an ending quotation mark when they cease speaking.

My Granddad pulled on a bract of grass and said, "Did I ever tell you about your Mom when she was little ? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (keep on for whole paragraph, there is no quotation mark at end).

"She was and so funny when she was in the third grade. After school one day, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (finish paragraph just still no ending quotation marks).

"At her wedding, I thought I was going to cry considering I loved her and so much. Simply your Grandma cried so much that I laughed instead." Big tears rolled downward his confront now as he remembered that day.

Notice the ending quotation marks after "instead." The "Big tears..." sentence is a clarification, and so there aren't any quotation marks around it.

Tips for Writing Effective Dialogue

Improve your writing of dialogue by adding adjectives to explain how a person says something. Any of the words for said can exist changed and made more interesting by adding one of the adjectives on the list. By changing the words around, y'all can make the same sentence have completely dissimilar meanings. Check out the amazing change adjectives and different words for said makes in these sentences:

Jason said, "Where are you lot going right now?"

"Where are y'all going right now?" demanded Jason.

Compassionately, Jason asked, "Where are you going right now?

Jason sobbingly cried, "Where are you going right at present?"

Jason happily asked, "Where are you going right at present?"

"Where," Jason abruptly interrupted, "Are you going right now?"

Use these word lists to give it a try in your conversations and dialogues!

Tips for Writing Conversation

ane. Put quotation marks around what is actually said.

two. Punctuation of conversation needs to help the reader "see" the conversation and know who is speaking when.

iii. Y'all don't need to say the name of the person speaking every time but say it often enough that the reader is reminded who it is.

4. If more than two people are speaking, you may need to tell the reader who is talking more often.

five. Let someone else read the dialogue and marker who is speaking if you aren't sure it is articulate.

Remember that children often talk in short sentences. Be sure the vocabulary you write is appropriate for the child's age.

VirginiaLynne, CC-BY via HubPages

Final Tip: Look At Professional Writing

My final tip? If yous ever encounter a punctuation problem yous don't know how to solve, your best resource is pulling out a novel and looking through it for chat which is like the kind you are doing. Choose a recent novel with a lot of dialogue for the best help. Re-create editors make sure that the standards of punctuation are done correctly in printed piece of work, so following the rules yous meet in a novel should brand sure you are doing things correctly.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is it correct to write "He said," or, "He said:" and and then commencement a new paragraph with the direct speech? I accept seen this in a George Eliot novel.

Respond: In general, it is probably better to keep the direct spoken language in the aforementioned paragraph every bit the "He said." Nonetheless, in a novel or whatsoever fictional writing, there is a lot of leeway for outcome. I don't recall the particular quote you are mentioning, but I can come across that using the "he said:" could be a fashion of making what the person said to be more like a spoken communication than a dialogue. Information technology does remind me of Middlemarch and how Dorothea might have felt about hearing Casaubon drone on and on.

I think it is important also to think that some of the grammar standards nosotros at present follow were not as standardized back in the mid-nineteenth century when George Eliot wrote her novels. I would probably not want my students to use that detail construction in their writing unless they could explicate clearly why they needed to do and then because they could non make their bespeak in a dissimilar way.

Question: Are quotation marks needed if it's not a homo speaking?

Respond: Anything that speaks should have quotation marks.

Question: Why do authors use a total finish afterward someone has spoken?

Answer: Putting a full cease (menstruation) or a comma would both exist correct ways to punctuate this sentence. The difference would exist the emphasis. With a period, you emphasize the end betwixt the two statements which tends to make them seem to exist two separate ideas, rather than one idea which just happens to be interrupted by proverb who is talking. The example y'all requite would probably be better with just a comma because the two parts menstruum together. Here are ii examples where it makes more sense to keep them split:

"That's her!" exclaimed Nicole. "I can't believe information technology was my sister who did information technology."

"Non my sister?" exclaimed Nicole. "I always thought she was the innocent one."

Question: If a character is answering an interrupter and not standing their previous sentence, should in that location exist a nuance at the outset of their resumed sentence?

Reply: No, you would just kickoff a new sentence merely the dialogue might include some words indicating frustration or the "he/she said" element might show that by using some statement like "Frustrated, John rolled his optics at the intermission and blurted out..."

Question: Do you utilise speech marks if a character is talking out loud to themselves merely?

Answer: If the person is talking out loud, I would use quotation marks around what they actually said. If they are thinking something, you also can apply quotation marks to say what they are thinking. Examples:

John walked down the street quickly shouting "Move faster! Move harder!" to himself under his breath.

John walked downward the street quickly thinking "Move faster! Move harder."

Question: What symbol do yous employ to indicate that a graphic symbol is thinking?

Reply: There is no particular symbol or punctuation in English language to show that someone is thinking, and then you need to brand that part of the sentence by using "think," "muse," "considered" or another word which conveys the idea that the words were thought only not said out loud. Here are some examples:

John walked down the street and thought, "Does she really dearest me?"

Walking down the lonely street, John mused, "I don't think she really loves me."

Question: Could I add some other set of quotation marks after a sentence ends?

Answer: Quotation marks are put later a person has finished speaking, or you have completed the quotation. Y'all only need one set of marks.

Question: How do you know when to use quotation?

Respond: You use quotation to evidence when someone is speaking. Sometimes, you can employ it when yous are thinking something. Here are some examples:

John said, "I recall I will go go some candy at the shop."

I looked at him after he shut the door and thought, "I wish I had enough money to go some candy too."

Question: Exercise I put quotations around the words that I am speaking in a story?

Reply: If you are speaking out loud to someone and using something like, "I said," you will employ quotes. However, you can convey conversation without quotation marks. Here is an instance of a dialogue which uses some dissimilar ways to convey the information:

Jennifer told me she was tired of seeing my bright bluish shoes every day.

I said, "I don't make enough money to purchase a new pair!"

Laughing, she said, "Well, why did you choose that colour in the first place?"

Looking at the grey and black shoes she ever wore, I thought that I could have asked her that same question, just I decided it wasn't worth stirring up trouble. "I guess I just don't have your good taste," I smirked.

Question: How would I format a quote if the speaker is likewise doing something? I demand the audience to know when a speaker is pointing at one object, and then turning to point to a 2nd object while continuing to talk.

Answer: Your best technique is to interrupt the person's dialogue and add activity. I'll give an instance:

John pointed to his expensive-looking machine, maxim, "I know y'all don't like to travel in luxury merely..." he opened the rider door and pointed to the beautiful leather seat, "I promise y'all won't mind information technology this time." He helped me inside and then smiled equally he handed me a pocket-size box, "especially since I'thousand hoping yous will agree to be my wife!"

Question: How practise y'all use a quote when the speaker doesn't say it out loud?

Answer: You tin can quote thoughts in the same fashion that you quote speech. The difference is with the word you apply before the quote. Instead of "said" you would say "idea" or something forth that line. Here is an example using both speech communication and thought to show it clearly:

James cheerfully said to his mother, "I'grand happy to clean the garage with you this weekend!" while inwardly groaning, "I can't believe she'south making me miss another Saturday baseball practice."

Question: How do I utilise quotation marks if there are several people talking in the extract from the book?

Respond: If you lot are quoting from a book where people are talking and giving a longer excerpt, you would go on the same punctuation from the book and put the excerpt in as a blockquote. If you are just using a curt description with a quote within it, you will put double quotation marks around the whole quotation and single quotation marks around what the person says (what would have double quotation marks in the original text).

Question: When a character is speaking in writing, do you start a new line and put quotations when the character is speaking to themselves?

Answer: Generally, you lot would not put thoughts into quotation marks. Yous can utilize italics just most of the time information technology is plenty to either use a phase (I thought, she thought) or words which indicate that the phrase or judgement is internal to the grapheme. Here is an example:

Stephen spoke upward, "I never believed you were the one responsible." In fact, he mused, I knew information technology was you. Remembering Jan's hatred of her sister, he thought most all the arguments he had overheard. Stupid, ignorant fool, he idea. I should have known improve than to believe she had really inverse.

Question: What are the punctuation rules for when the same person is talking, exercise y'all indent?

Answer: However long the same person talks, you practice non demand to indent (unless they are talking for several paragraphs, such as in a monologue).

Question: Let's say you're writing a story and ane person is telling you something someone else said. Practise I put quotes within a quote? For example, "So your dad said, " blah blah blah."

Answer: When ane person is quoting another person, you use unmarried quotes. Here are some examples:

John said, "Your dad told me, 'I similar the greenish car but not the red one' when I saw him last night."

"When I saw him final night," John commented, "Your dad told me, 'I like the green car just not the ruby ane.'" (notice you need a single and so a double quotation marking here)

Tewogbade on June 05, 2018:

Am from Nigeria, I hope to have successful examination. thanks very much.

Virginia Kearney (writer) from United states of america on May 12, 2018:

Hi Aaron, I think yous accept brought upwards a very interesting point, and that is the fact that in conversation people don't always talk in "correct English" and you are trying to put some punctuation to show that the person pauses after "because." However, it is truthful that the comma isn't really correct in this example. However, I accept a solution that would work. Another fashion to bespeak a pause is to either put the reference to who is speaking in betwixt the "because" and the rest of the sentence, or to employ an ellipsis (...). Hither is a sample:

"Because...God was set up for them to be with him," David said softly.

"Because," the man replied in a condescending manner, "tomorrow may..."

Aaron Poole on May 11, 2018:

I know "because" isn't supposed to ever go a comma and people frown on starting a sentence with it, but I have several instances in dialogue writing where someone is answering a question. It looks improve and sounds improve with a comma after "Considering".

Examples:

"But why did they go so soon?" young Robert asked tearful.

"Because, God was ready for them to be with him," David said softly.

"Why tomorrow? Why not this night?" she asked emphatically.

The human replied in a condescending way, "Because, tomorrow may exist a new affiliate in both of your lives. That is what you want, isn't it?"

I know I tin can change the sentence, simply I don't desire to. It sounds more natural. Anyway, I was just wondering about it? I tin't seem to detect anything on this particular problem. Thanks!

Virginia Kearney (author) from United states on April 18, 2018:

Hullo George, When the person who is speaking quotes someone else, y'all use unmarried quotation marks. Here is an case:

"Don't go aroused!" I told him, "As my female parent always told me, 'You lot grab more than flies with dearest than vinegar.'"

Detect that the cease of that judgement has a period, a single quote (to end the quotation from the mother) and then the double quotation marker to prove the end of the person speaking. There are more examples in my other comments and questions.

George Jenkins on April eighteen, 2018:

Is it correct to use quotation marks in a conversation within a chat every bit the story is related to a third party

Sophie Dahlia on Apr 18, 2018:

Hi Virginia,

Thanks so much for getting back to me, this has made a very great improvement for my short story; you give great advice. I wish to exist as great of a author every bit you ane day.

Nuhu Abdullahi on Apr 17, 2018:

I just recently took upward writing on wattpad. I had a lot of stories on my mind I've wanted to put to paper. I was met with a snag, punctuation, i got nervous, thinking i was doing it wrongly. I figured that out. And so i was met with some other issue, quotations, for my third chapter involved a lot of talking, to explicate the events of the prior chapter. I googled and searched an researched until I came beyond your page. I do not know how to cheers enough. I mean y'all answered every burning question i had, and even some more stuff i didn't know i needed to know.... Thank You. Delight go on this up.

Virginia Kearney (author) from U.s. on April 16, 2018:

Hello Sophie, When you quote something inside of some other quote you employ unmarried quotation marks. Nevertheless, information technology is also of import that you brand the pregnant articulate. Here is how I would write your example:

I told him, "she was blonde and had glittering brown eyes that were similar the bawl of a tree just afterward sunrise. She giggled at me and said, 'hurry mummy!"

Sophie Dahlia on Apr 13, 2018:

Hello,

I am writing a short piece of writing for my English grade and I wanted to know what punctuation I needed to use if my protagonist was describing to another person what someone else said or should I merely close the protagonist's speech and open new speech marks for the person.

Instance:

"She was blonde and had glittering brownish eyes that were the bawl of a tree simply after sunrise. She giggled at me (Hurry mummy!)..."

Or

"She was blonde and had glittering brown eyes that were the bark of a tree only after sunrise," I explain.

She giggled at me "Hurry mummy!"

-- However, the second option, whether plausible or not, forces me to change the tense after the protagonist's words as her's are in the nowadays tense and she is maxim to some other person that her daughter said "Hurry mummy" to her. So I am not certain what to employ for my short story equally the kid isn't nowadays nor would it work if she was because, well it's a little complicated and it doesn't really matter.

Any communication you could requite me would be almost welcome :)

--- Sophie

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on March 26, 2018:

Hello Jonathan, you definitely would want the letter of the alphabet to exist written in the first person. Many novels accept a variety of perspectives and readers are actually very good at switching between perspectives as long as you lot are conscientious to prepare it up so that they know whose perspective they should take. You are asking some good questions.

Jonathan on March 26, 2018:

Hi Virginia,

I have some other question for yous :) Hope y'all can help me.

In my novel that is written entirely in tertiary person I have a graphic symbol requite a letter to the main protagonist. In the letter of the alphabet a character is telling her personal story and what happened to them out of her perspective. Is information technology okay and so if the letter is in offset person? If you understand what I am trying to say.

Warm Regards

Jonathan on March 22, 2018:

Your the all-time! Cheers and so very much.

Virginia Kearney (author) from United states of america on March 22, 2018:

Hello Jonathan--congratulations for working on such a big projection. It is quite correct to take long quotations without having to interrupt with "he said" and "she said." In fact, if a graphic symbol continues to talk in more than i paragraph at that place is a convention for that. You would use a quotation marker before the offset discussion of each paragraph the person is speaking but no ending quotation marking at the end of a paragraph if the next paragraph is continuing dialog. In fact, you don't need to employ "he said" and "she said" in every judgement of a short exchange either. You practise need to put who is speaking at the beginning of the dialog, of course, merely as long every bit the words that are said are conspicuously dorsum and forth and the reader can tell who is saying what, y'all don't need to repeatedly remind the reader almost who is talking. The primary rule is that you lot want it easy for the reader to figure out who is saying what. You never want a reader to have to go back and figure that out (ever been irritated by having to practice that when reading a novel? I have!). If you lot are in incertitude, ask several people to read your dialogue and see if they get confused. Another hint is that you lot can use small-scale pieces of description to go along the reader on track, likewise as to fill out the emotions being played out while the people are speaking by using descriptive details. Here are some samples: she flung her hands in the air...; turning to scout his reaction, she commented...; Walking away, he heard the shout...

Jonathan on March 22, 2018:

Hi Virginia,

I am writing a novel with a lot of scientific explanations and was wondering if having longer quoted dialogue would be adequate.

A grapheme is explaining this to some other, while sitting effectually a burn.

exp.

"I'thou dying," Eli'southward words sounded cold and distant.

"What?! Eli, what do you mean?" Gage responded with stupor.

"The day Marianne brought in Rose, She brought the virus in with her. She never told anyone, but we soon institute out we were all infected. The commencement five months of existence in hither, nosotros only worked on a suppressant. Nosotros found a formula with Marianne's help only the formula damages one's internal organs after prolonged employ."

Its just a rough format. I just desire to know how you would brake up a long explanation without repeating words similar: He said etc.

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on February 19, 2018:

David, you have an excellent question. Your 2d example is correct. Yet, if you interrupt the stream of the conversation with some clarification or mention of who is talking, information technology might crave quotation marks. Hither is an example:

"Stop that you twit!" yelled Roberto. "Practice you want to hurt yourself?" Walking off in a huff, he muttered, "Sometimes people but don't learn."

David on February 19, 2018:

Hi!

Splendid read and advice here.

How do you deal with several sentences in succession by the aforementioned character? Practise you open new quotes each time?

Roberto retorted, "Cease that yous twit!" "Do you want to injure yourself?"

or should it exist;

Roberto retorted, "Finish that you lot twit! Do you want to hurt yourself?"

Cheers!

David

Audrey Hunt from Pahrump NV on February 09, 2018:

Yous're an exceptional teacher. I thank you for the examples of correct and incorrect punctuation. I similar using adjectives in my writing and I'1000 relieved to know information technology'due south okay to do then.

Virginia Kearney (writer) from United States on Jan 06, 2018:

Hello Shelley, in your example both of the quotations should be indented and and so should the third sentence. Even so, I think this sort of dialogue is more than constructive if some sort of action is included which links the two and tells who is speaking. Here is my re-write:

Sam glanced at his female parent. Hesitatingly, he asked, "Mom, how are y'all today?"

"I'm okay."

Her answer satisfied Sam. He smiled.

Shelley on Jan 06, 2018:

This is very helpful, merely I have a question if I have dialogue betwixt two people for example:

"Mom, how are you today?"

"I'm okay."

Sam smiled and was glad his mom was okay.

Should Sam'south action exist indented also or added to after the mom answers?

Chris on December 22, 2017:

Virginia, give thanks you for the reply.

You spoke of using past tense and I'll admit this has e'er been difficult for me. Granted its been a while since I was in school taking English/Composition classes, but I take always idea or been nether the impression that when something 'is' happening, the tenses should always match and exist 'in' the present? I know MS-Word is constantly pointing out problems with tense and passive sentences, just they seem more reader friendly (if that's a term).

Are you suggesting that in a scene that 'is' transpiring and not being recalled later; it is alright to use differing tenses...the diverse characters using said (and information technology's variations) and others using says (and information technology'southward variations)?

Example using your previous case...

"...we can even so practice information technology now," finished Trent. *

"What?!" the friends exclaim together **

Sighing after their exclamation, Jason adds, "What nigh our moms?"

*Couple questions on your example...was the elimination of the comma an blow, or is it no longer required? While the preceding conversation isn't present and might brand a difference, 'finished Trent.' - information technology sounds or feels incorrect.

**Where the previous sentence used by tense, this one and the adjacent uses nowadays tense (seems appropriate as the speaker is the same);though I did add a feeling of emotion in the 3rd (dissever) sentence which makes splitting the originally posted sentence in two. Secondly, maybe I'yard nitpicking, does it matter whether the ! comes before or afterward the ? - where in the example information technology is both a question and an exclamation of shock? I know there is a character that uses the ii combined, but not sure how oftentimes it is used and or accepted.

Well, again thanks for your reply and hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on Dec 22, 2017:

Howdy Chris--I'm so glad to hear you lot are writing for your ain enjoyment and pleasance. I'll give yous a couple of other tips. It would work better to write in the past tense usually (said, exclaimed), rather than present tense (says, exclaims). Secondly, employ adverbs (words that tell how the verb is said) and adjectives (describing nouns) more oft to make your writing more vivid. You may do that and only didn't add them on your examples. Here is the answer:

"..we can still do information technology now" finished Trent.

"What?!" exclaimed the friends together.

Jason added, "What virtually our moms?"

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on December 22, 2017:

Hello Chris--You have a proficient question and dialogue can go very difficult to do well when there are many unlike people. Notwithstanding, technically, in the first example, Roger is maxim both of the quotes and looking at Trent shaking his head. Unless you point out Trent is proverb the sentence, Roger is still speaking. How about this:

"Oh…didn't think of that," Roger says, looking at Trent.

Shaking his head, Trent admitted, "I didn't either."

Chris on December 21, 2017:

Me again, I'd like to ask one more than affair...same scene...

What almost when ii speak at the same time but only one continues?

"...we can still do it now," Trent finishes.

"WHAT?!" the friends exclaim as Jason carries on, "What about our moms?"

To me it seems messy to accept divide lines indicating both boys are speaking and then a third one to ask the question.

Cheers

PS...none of this is for essays, school work or publishing...it is stuff I write for my own enjoyment and few volition ever read. That doesn't mean I don't try to stay within standard grammatical conventions.

Chris on December 21, 2017:

For the nearly office I agree with your entire listing, but it was the following sentence I wrote that fabricated me question #1 and do a search:

"Oh…didn't remember of that," Roger says as he looks at Trent who is shaking his head, "I didn't either."

To me it seems quite articulate that the second speaker is Trent.

This in a scene where there are 4 people involved and at that place is/will be a lot of dialogue between the 2 sets of people and the individuals themselves. The to a higher place is the two dads after replying to their sons almost an upcoming school project while the mom's are abroad.

A lot of the stories I write for myself tend to have a lot of dialog and in some circumstances similar the higher up it seems a lot simpler, even cleaner to show two people in the same sentence rather than:

"Oh…didn't think of that," Roger says when he looks at Brad's father.

Shaking his caput, Brent turns his attention to Jason'southward father, "I didn't either."

Previously information technology was already indicated that Trent is Brad's begetter and Roger is Jason's.

Virginia Kearney (author) from Us on December 08, 2017:

Hi Jack, yous have a skillful question. The first one is correct in this particular instance. "This is a quote" becomes the subject field of the judgement and there is never a comma between a subject field and a verb (is). Since "this is a quote" becomes the subject, the trouble with the final sentence is that by separating the quotation with a menses, you leave the 2nd sentence without a field of study. Secondly, it is non correct to take words with quotations around them every bit a sentence unless information technology is role of a dialogue in a conversation which at some other point tells you lot who says those words

Jack on December 08, 2017:

Hi, a problem I've had for a while and never found an answer to is how to punctuate the end of a quote used like this:

"This is a quote" is a quote used in this judgement.

or:

"This is a quote," is a quote used in this sentence.

or:

"This is a quote." Is a quote used in this judgement.

Virginia Kearney (author) from United states on November 25, 2017:

RTalloni--I have to await these rules up myself sometimes! I tell my students that they only need to know when they need to check on a rule.

RTalloni on November 25, 2017:

As always, well done and useful. I think Ive finally gotten a real grip on number 6. :)

Virginia Kearney (author) from U.s.a. on November 25, 2017:

So glad this was helpful Rita. I have lots of other ideas for writers. I promise you lot will check them out!

Rita on November 25, 2017:

Thanks for this posting. It has helped me out a lot since it's been years since I concluding been able to relax with a good book or write anything lately. I really appreciate it!

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on November 20, 2017:

You probably would keep this judgement in the terminal paragraph where someone spoke. However, if you want to emphasize the idea that there was unresolved tension and create a written "pause" in the story, you might make this as another paragraph.

Unknown on November twenty, 2017:

Then they both walked away.

Practice you make a new paragraph for this?

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on October 20, 2017:

Thanks Ron! I volition have to ready that. As you can tell, I have no military background and I appreciate you taking the time to look so advisedly at the photo.

Ron Bergeron from Massachusetts, United states on October 20, 2017:

Expert commodity, but I accept to comment on the caption under the first flick - "Practise yous understand soldier!" hollered the captain.

First, that'south not a captain. That's a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant as shown by the rank insignia on his collar. Based on the blackness belt he's wearing, he appears to exist a Senior Drill Instructor.

2d, the person pictured would never use the give-and-take "soldier" when addressing a Marine Corps recruit. He would utilise "recruit", "Private", or a number of other terms that would certainly not be permitted on this site.

Virginia Kearney (writer) from U.s. on June 04, 2017:

You lot can, but I'one thousand a bit confused by the "A." Practice you mean:

"Are y'all going to sleep yet?" asked Jane.

or

"Are you going to slumber yet?" Amy asked Jane.

Both of those would exist correct. Whatsoever punctuation that is included in the words spoken or quoted would remain the same. There is still a period at the end if there is some office of the sentence which is not in quotation marks. Here are some samples:

James questioned, "Are we there however?" which but irritated his already tired begetter.

His sis retorted, "You just asked that two minutes ago!" as everyone in the automobile gave a large sigh.

No name on June 03, 2017:

Can you write it like this,

"Are yous going to sleep yet?" A asked Jane.

It has a question mark in the sentence Jane is speaking in just so at that place is a period at the end

Can you write ane like that?

Virginia Kearney (writer) from U.s. on April 29, 2017:

Hi, Arielle--What a slap-up question. I will have to add together a section on this to my commodity. The answer is that yous would use regular ("quotes") for the conversation between the starting time two people. Then, for the dialogue that is inside the story, you lot would use single quotes ('quote'). If you cease your sentence with the person quoting the other person, you lot actually have three marks ('").

Here is a sample:

James told John, "I was talking with my English instructor yesterday and she asked, 'Are you taking my class next semester?'"

"That's awkward," John replied, "I idea you didn't recall she liked you. Isn't she the teacher who told you lot, 'Your sentences are about as successful every bit my endeavour to serve broccoli to my teenagers?"

"Yes," groaned James, "she and then proceeded to tell me a story. She told me, 'When I was in school....'"

Arielle on Apr 28, 2017:

Hello. These tips were helpful, thank yous. I am all the same puzzled about the circumstance where in that location are ii people having a chat, and then one person tells a story to the other person involving a dialogue between ii people. For the story inside the dialogue between the 2 people, would I employ regular quotes? Or single?

Emily Wagers on January 12, 2017:

I am in your 1304 xi:00 TR class and I am not sure how I fabricated it through English in High School or my starting time English language class at Baylor without knowing these tips. It was very helpful!!

Denzel Mims on January xi, 2017:

This was a very helpful essay, I will use these tips when i am writing.

Jacqui from New Zealand on July 19, 2015:

Well, this has just made my life and so much easier - particularly when I've got a slightly long winded scene for a reasonably short of words character - at present I tin make information technology make sense to the reader.

Accept saved this to my favourites. Thanks for sharing this information.

Shade1 on January 12, 2014:

Thank you for the reply,this was exactly the aforementioned thing which i feel sometimes about Grr Martin'south writing.

Virginia Kearney (writer) from U.s.a. on January 12, 2014:

Interesting question Shade. Without looking at the full passage, I tin can't give a definitive answer but my guess is that the author started a new paragraph because at that place is a shift in field of study. Notwithstanding, in that example they should have washed a "speaker tag" to clarify who is talking. Rather than hard and fast rules in this sort of situation, I suggest that the guideline for the author should ever exist to make information technology easy for the reader to follow the speakers. If a reader has to re-read, you've non written clearly. On the other mitt, writers don't desire to be as well obtrusive with speaker tags then that their craft overshadows the story. Even so, clarity is, in my mind, the nigh important goal. Thanks for the comment.

Shade1 on January 11, 2014:

Slap-up commodity,i stumbled upon it online when i was searching for dialogue punctuation articles.I have been reading books for a very long time and of late i am finding many errors in books.I recently read GRR Martin'southward a disharmonism of kings.On page 242 the grapheme Tyrion finishes his dialogue followed by a narrative sentence then another paragraph has been started with him speaking.I was confused about who was speaking since either no endmost quotation marks should have been in that location or a new paragraph should not accept been started.It goes similar this

"I'll make...".Whether truly...

...........uses.

"See that... Joffrey."

Now is this an error or simply that the end quotation mark in the 1st para was there considering it was followed by a narrative sentence??

Virginia Kearney (author) from U.s.a. on November 08, 2013:

Terrific! I'm always so pleased when my articles are helpful to someone in their classes.

Guest on Nov 08, 2013:

Thank you for the help, this brought my English course up to an A!

joshphilip on August 21, 2012:

I didn't know those rules for conversation and practise tend to struggle with dialogue in my writing. I'll make sure to exercise this from at present on. Thanks for the tips!

unknown on September 17, 2011:

it helped a lot. thanks!^^

raxit02 from Amsterdam, Holland on June 11, 2011:

Yep, this commodity has been helpful in understanding the requirements. As I am not a native English-speaker, I often do a list of mistakes. Writing here is helping me extensively.

Thanks for sharing these meaningful insights.

Have intendance,

Nick

Virginia Kearney (author) from United States on May 18, 2011:

Just a reminder that I need to proofread 1 final time before publishing. Thank you for communicable my mistake so I could right information technology!

THAT Mary Ann on May eighteen, 2011:

I believe information technology is,

"The 'Big tears...' sentence is description, so there aren't whatever quotation marks around it."

equally long as we are being grammatical...

maciaszoble1937.blogspot.com

Source: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Punctuation-of-Conversation

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