Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Punctuating Conversation II

Self-Starter:  Punctuating dialogue
Punctuate these statements or bits of conversation (dialogue):

1.   The teacher said   In this class there will be no talking, chewing, breathing, unnecessary eye movements, or tap dancing

2.  I questioned   Are you up on the furniture again  you bad dog  Get down now

3.  I just finished reading The Lost Hero   she remarked
     So what did you think of it    I asked
     It was excellent    she exclaimed
     I agreed    I loved it too 

4.  I wish today were Friday     she said     I’ve been looking forward to it for months now
     How come   he asked
     Because finally I’m supposed to get my braces taken off.   At least that’s what my orthodontist promised

Checking Punctuating Dialogue

__________________________________________
The Low-Down on Punctuating Dialogue
Using quotation marks mini-lesson

Rules: Quotation Marks and Punctuation

  • Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a direct quotation. Do not use them, however, to set off an indirect quotation.

    • Bob said, "I doubled my money in the stock market last month!"
    • Bob lied about doubling his money in the stock market last month.
  • Punctuate a speaker's words with a comma, question mark, or exclamation point inside the quotation.

    • Bob cried, "I'm ruined!"
    • Bob wondered, "Am I ruined?"
    • "I'm happier than Lenny at a petting zoo," Bob's enemy said.
    •  
  • Place a comma after explanatory words (he said, for example)
  • In dialogue, begin a new paragraph each time the speaker changes and use a separate set of quotation marks.
  • Use single quotation marks when using quotation marks inside of quotation marks.

    • He said, "I know she said, 'Let's go to the Dominican Republic, this summer,' but I'd rather go to Hawaii."
  • Put a colon or semicolon outside the closing quotation mark

    • Here are things "not to do": thing 1, thing 2, thing 3.
  • If a sentence that includes a quotation is a question or exclamation, place the question mark or exclamation point outside the quotation marks. 

No comments: