Quotations
Below are the guide lines and rules for punctuating conversation in writing.
Thoughts
A person's thoughts don't have to be punctuated; however, they can be set apart with a comma or italics.
For example:
This is a strange new world, Bob thought to himself.
I'd better get out of here, thought George.
Dialogue
Start each speaker on a new line, so that the reader is clear who is speaking. You don't have to say "said" after each line is spoken.
For example:
"Are you ready to go?" asked Linda.
"Yes, in a minute," replied Jonah.
"Don't forget your books!"
"I won't."
"Good," said Linda. "It would be a shame if you had to come back again."
Punctuation
Note: quotation marks are double- ("), apostrophes are single –(')
Quotation marks surround the words that are being spoken, and any punctuation they may include.
A sentence in punctuating dialogue includes the description of who is speaking.
For example:
"I don't want to go," complained Becky.
What happens if the speaker has a lot to say? Here is how to punctuate an interrupted thought.
"Of course," answered Josh, "the cookie started the fire."
See how the comma after of course is included in the quotation?
Also, because this is an interrupted quote, a comma follows Josh to indicate the speaker is not
finished. The period at the end of the sentence is included in the quotation, as would a question mark or exclamation point.
Other little things to smooth out our writing:
Pauses or Breaks in Time
To indicate a pause in a character’s speaking use only three periods (…) no more. To indicate a lapse of time in your story, use a transition word to help the reader keep track of time.
For example:
“I don’t know…what do you think?” asked Jodie.
Later on, the girls walked down to the beach.
Excitement
To indicate a loud or dramatic noise, use an exclamation point. Do not put the word in caps or use more than one exclamation point.
For example:
Boom! The boat exploded in the harbor.
