The difference between dialogue marks The 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results Are InStriking the balance between dialogue and narrativeWhat is the difference between “creative writing” and “fiction writing”?Which one is the correct dialogue punctuation format?How to correctly punctuate this dialogue?Using colons and semi-colons in dialogueUsing comma splices in dialogueWhen dialog is italicized, should the quotation marks be italicized as well?Punctuation issue quoting dialoguePunctuation when using inline dialogueIs it okay to use a lot of exclamation marks?

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The difference between dialogue marks



The 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results Are InStriking the balance between dialogue and narrativeWhat is the difference between “creative writing” and “fiction writing”?Which one is the correct dialogue punctuation format?How to correctly punctuate this dialogue?Using colons and semi-colons in dialogueUsing comma splices in dialogueWhen dialog is italicized, should the quotation marks be italicized as well?Punctuation issue quoting dialoguePunctuation when using inline dialogueIs it okay to use a lot of exclamation marks?










9















Most authors use dialogue in writing, especially when writing fiction. Now, if I remember my first grade primary school correctly, dialogue can be directly separated from narration in a number of ways.



Either quotation marks,




"Murder," she said.




dashes,




-Murder,- she said.




or angle brackets / angle carets / Guillemets:




«Murder,» she said.




I'm a personal fan of the last example and I dislike using quotation marks for dialogue, but that's just my personal opinion. What I'm wondering here is if, from a typographic standpoint, there are reasons to prefer one over the other when reporting dialogue.



This is limited to the scope of creative writing mainly, since non-creative (e.g. technical) writing usually has stricter rules.










share|improve this question



















  • 13





    What you have there are different cultural conventions. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Specific_language_features

    – user37767
    2 days ago






  • 1





    @Luba this should probably be edited into an answer or listed as a new answer, because this is the right one.

    – Blue Caboose
    2 days ago











  • All I can say is that as an American it hurts to see the third one, and the second one is maybe fine for 1 or 2 words, but nothing long

    – DJ Spicy Deluxe-Levi
    12 hours ago











  • Cormac McCarthy doesn't follow any of those examples.

    – LarsTech
    9 hours ago















9















Most authors use dialogue in writing, especially when writing fiction. Now, if I remember my first grade primary school correctly, dialogue can be directly separated from narration in a number of ways.



Either quotation marks,




"Murder," she said.




dashes,




-Murder,- she said.




or angle brackets / angle carets / Guillemets:




«Murder,» she said.




I'm a personal fan of the last example and I dislike using quotation marks for dialogue, but that's just my personal opinion. What I'm wondering here is if, from a typographic standpoint, there are reasons to prefer one over the other when reporting dialogue.



This is limited to the scope of creative writing mainly, since non-creative (e.g. technical) writing usually has stricter rules.










share|improve this question



















  • 13





    What you have there are different cultural conventions. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Specific_language_features

    – user37767
    2 days ago






  • 1





    @Luba this should probably be edited into an answer or listed as a new answer, because this is the right one.

    – Blue Caboose
    2 days ago











  • All I can say is that as an American it hurts to see the third one, and the second one is maybe fine for 1 or 2 words, but nothing long

    – DJ Spicy Deluxe-Levi
    12 hours ago











  • Cormac McCarthy doesn't follow any of those examples.

    – LarsTech
    9 hours ago













9












9








9


1






Most authors use dialogue in writing, especially when writing fiction. Now, if I remember my first grade primary school correctly, dialogue can be directly separated from narration in a number of ways.



Either quotation marks,




"Murder," she said.




dashes,




-Murder,- she said.




or angle brackets / angle carets / Guillemets:




«Murder,» she said.




I'm a personal fan of the last example and I dislike using quotation marks for dialogue, but that's just my personal opinion. What I'm wondering here is if, from a typographic standpoint, there are reasons to prefer one over the other when reporting dialogue.



This is limited to the scope of creative writing mainly, since non-creative (e.g. technical) writing usually has stricter rules.










share|improve this question
















Most authors use dialogue in writing, especially when writing fiction. Now, if I remember my first grade primary school correctly, dialogue can be directly separated from narration in a number of ways.



Either quotation marks,




"Murder," she said.




dashes,




-Murder,- she said.




or angle brackets / angle carets / Guillemets:




«Murder,» she said.




I'm a personal fan of the last example and I dislike using quotation marks for dialogue, but that's just my personal opinion. What I'm wondering here is if, from a typographic standpoint, there are reasons to prefer one over the other when reporting dialogue.



This is limited to the scope of creative writing mainly, since non-creative (e.g. technical) writing usually has stricter rules.







creative-writing dialogue punctuation






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago









weakdna

3,53242363




3,53242363










asked 2 days ago









LiquidLiquid

8,73622073




8,73622073







  • 13





    What you have there are different cultural conventions. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Specific_language_features

    – user37767
    2 days ago






  • 1





    @Luba this should probably be edited into an answer or listed as a new answer, because this is the right one.

    – Blue Caboose
    2 days ago











  • All I can say is that as an American it hurts to see the third one, and the second one is maybe fine for 1 or 2 words, but nothing long

    – DJ Spicy Deluxe-Levi
    12 hours ago











  • Cormac McCarthy doesn't follow any of those examples.

    – LarsTech
    9 hours ago












  • 13





    What you have there are different cultural conventions. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Specific_language_features

    – user37767
    2 days ago






  • 1





    @Luba this should probably be edited into an answer or listed as a new answer, because this is the right one.

    – Blue Caboose
    2 days ago











  • All I can say is that as an American it hurts to see the third one, and the second one is maybe fine for 1 or 2 words, but nothing long

    – DJ Spicy Deluxe-Levi
    12 hours ago











  • Cormac McCarthy doesn't follow any of those examples.

    – LarsTech
    9 hours ago







13




13





What you have there are different cultural conventions. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Specific_language_features

– user37767
2 days ago





What you have there are different cultural conventions. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Specific_language_features

– user37767
2 days ago




1




1





@Luba this should probably be edited into an answer or listed as a new answer, because this is the right one.

– Blue Caboose
2 days ago





@Luba this should probably be edited into an answer or listed as a new answer, because this is the right one.

– Blue Caboose
2 days ago













All I can say is that as an American it hurts to see the third one, and the second one is maybe fine for 1 or 2 words, but nothing long

– DJ Spicy Deluxe-Levi
12 hours ago





All I can say is that as an American it hurts to see the third one, and the second one is maybe fine for 1 or 2 words, but nothing long

– DJ Spicy Deluxe-Levi
12 hours ago













Cormac McCarthy doesn't follow any of those examples.

– LarsTech
9 hours ago





Cormac McCarthy doesn't follow any of those examples.

– LarsTech
9 hours ago










10 Answers
10






active

oldest

votes


















29














I think this is dependent on the convention in the country or location where you are publishing. In the U.S., it's double quotes, but in Britain, it's often single quotes. I believe France and Italy use guillemets. I've seen the dashes but I don't recall where they are used.



The upshot is that, as JonStonecash wisely said, use whatever will be expected by and invisible to your readers.






share|improve this answer




















  • 5





    I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

    – SF.
    2 days ago






  • 2





    indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

    – BKlassen
    2 days ago






  • 3





    In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

    – Mindwin
    2 days ago






  • 9





    Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

    – Andrew Leach
    2 days ago






  • 4





    @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

    – Tim Pederick
    yesterday


















21














As a retired engineer, I habitually focus on the end result. While all of the choices are valid, I suspect that most readers will find all but the traditional double quotes to be jarring. If that is the result you are seeking, go for it. If you want the mechanics of dialogue to disappear then I would stick to said, asked, and double quotes.



An exception might be in order if there are more than one means to convey dialogue, such as telepathy or some special communication channel. If it is important to the story, you might use one of the alternate approaches to signify the difference.



Albert Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." My point is that you should use whatever is needed to tell your story. And, if it is not needed, don't use it.






share|improve this answer


















  • 20





    +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

    – Evil Sparrow
    2 days ago











  • @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

    – Rich
    yesterday






  • 6





    @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

    – alephzero
    yesterday











  • @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

    – Rich
    9 hours ago


















9














The convention in English is to use double quotes, or occasionally, single quotes. Anything else if jarring and confusing. I don't know what first grade teacher said that hyphens or angle brackets are a routine way to identify quotes. If this was a teacher of the English language, he was just what I like to call "wrong".



You might use some other notation for special cases. Like if you're writing a science fiction novel and you need some way to set off the aliens' non-verbal communication or the telephathic links or some such.



You can, of course, always break the conventions. But have a reason to do it, not just because you prefer some alternate convention. As for any writing rule, if the rule gets in the way of the story, sure, break it. But don't break rules just because you feel like it.



But for normal human speech, use quotes. Anything else, readers will have to figure out that you're using this other symbol instead of quotes for no apparent reason, and it will be continually jarring.






share|improve this answer






























    6














    There are two other common options.



    Italics.




    Murder, she said.




    And nothing at all.




    Murder, she said.




    Or more likely set up as narration.




    She said murder.




    I prefer anything to the nothing option. I honestly don't know what goes through an author's head choosing that. Do they think readers enjoy not being sure if a character is speaking or thinking or if the narrator is talking?



    As an American reading in English, my preference for the other options is clear: double quote marks. Specifically, curly quotes (straight quotes, like you see in this post, are fine for online reading, but for a book, they need to be curly).



    Italics is gimmicky for speech, though readable. I'd rather see them saved for character thoughts and other unspoken utterances.



    Your other examples may be the preference in other countries that use English or in other languages. If that's the case in the language/country you're writing in, use them. None of them would make for seamless reading in the U.S.



    Your typographic goal is to make the marks invisible and glaringly obvious at the same time. Just like "she said" is. There's no doubt who said it but you barely notice. Dialogue marks should be the same way. Your eye should glide across the page not even paying attention to punctuation, yet you know without a doubt which words were spoken out loud.






    share|improve this answer


















    • 5





      As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

      – gidds
      yesterday


















    5














    In simple prose in English use inverted commas “ ” or ‘ ’ It is a matter of preference which to use. Double quote marks are unlikely to be confused with apostrophes, but single quotes are shorter and less intrusive.



    Paragraphing properly is also important. Each change of speaker requires a new paragraph, even if they only say one word.



    Some authors dislike standard quotation marks. James Joyce (Ulysses) never used inverted commas, and hated that some editors "corrected" his manuscript to include them. He began each quote with an em dash at the start of a line and ended the quote by context or a paragraph break.




    Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror then covered the bowl smartly.



    — Back to barracks, he said smartly.



    He added in a preacher's tone:



    — For this, O dearly beloved is the genuine Christine [...]




    Guillemets are not used in standard English, nor are the various conventions of double commas found in German, Polish and some other languages. „Guten Tag!“






    share|improve this answer






























      3














      There is another style of marking dialogue, used very frequently on Brazillian Portuguese - the "travessão".



      Personally, I find it clearer than those other styles as it enables you to create a sharp difference between what your characters are saying and what they are thinking.



      When using the travessão, you have to play around a bit on how you write the text to push dialogue to its own sections. It isn't hard to do, but it creates a somewhat different flow to the text that - in my humble opinion! - makes it easier to structure the overall scene.



      An example of it at work:




      Camille was nervous, shaking inside her boots while strolling down the dark alley. She hated that meeting spot, but it was the only place she could think of that wouldn't draw unwanted attention from the local gangsters.



      — Hey, Dumbface! Over here!



      The sudden call made her feet jump and her heart race for a moment, but as soon as her brain managed to recognize the voice as being Adam's, her skittish behavior gave away in a sigh of relief.



      — You're such a glitch, A. Don't scare me like that.



      — That's not intentional, knife-ears. It was you that picked this spot, anyway. I told we could have used my place.



      A short, stocky man walked out of the shadows, bringing himself closer to Camille with a large smile on his fair, jovial face. His behavior was cheerful and energetic as usual, even in the dire circumstances that prompted this rushed encounter. Camille couldn't help but wonder if there was anything similar to fear or worry inside that head covered by long, blonde locks.



      Her voice went down to a whisper.



      — Alright, alright. Now, please try to be quiet. We have important things to discuss.



      "I'll regret this so much tomorrow morning", she wondered, as bad memories flooded her mind bringing her recent issues with her brother to the top of her mind. The chance was small, but if she acted soon she could very well reclaim not only everything he stole from her but last living blood relative she still had.



      It was worth a shot.








      share|improve this answer























      • So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

        – Liquid
        yesterday






      • 1





        How does it indicate the speaker?

        – Weckar E.
        yesterday











      • @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

        – T. Sar
        yesterday











      • @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

        – user28434
        15 hours ago











      • I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

        – David Siegel
        5 hours ago


















      2














      As JonStonecash has said, the other choices would be jarring. I know that I expect quotation marks to indicate spoken dialogue.



      While all are sound, the traditional quotation marks have the weight and benefit of tradition, rendering them invisible.



      It is your book, but if you want readers to enjoy it, allow for the possibility that the punctuation you select can disturb immersion, if only briefly.



      Quotation marks are so commonly used that the use of the others might make a reader pause and then go on - ah, yes, dialogue.






      share|improve this answer
































        0














        I haven't heard of or seen dashes or brackets being used to indicate dialogue. Primary teachers make up a lot of things, for example that you can't begin sentences with 'because'. It is because they have to simplify things.






        share|improve this answer


















        • 3





          Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

          – CDspace
          2 days ago











        • Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

          – T. Sar
          yesterday











        • That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

          – Overmind
          17 hours ago


















        0














        «TEXT» and "TEXT" are use for quoting /citation. The marks are used at the beginning and the end of the cited text.



        Example:



        "Of all things, I liked books best."



        «Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.»



        N. Tesla.



        - TEXT is used for dialogue. Example:



         - Do you have some water ?



         - Yes.



         - It is cold ?



         - No.



        Dash (-) can also be used as a pause line.



        Example:



         –  What's your name ?



         –  Like my grandfather - Michael.






        share|improve this answer























        • 「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

          – mirabilos
          17 hours ago











        • Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

          – Overmind
          16 hours ago











        • My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

          – mirabilos
          16 hours ago


















        0














        I want to add a piece of trivia from a book a read.
        In the book, the author used two types of marking for dialogue. He used thing like




        I was walking down the hallway, when I heard over my shoulder:



        – Hey, dickface !




        to express oral speech, and




        «Hello» I answered.




        to express conversations that where happening telepathically.



        As you guessed, this book had a fantasy setting, and the author used both formats to easily inform the reader HOW the conversation was currently handled.






        share|improve this answer








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          10 Answers
          10






          active

          oldest

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          10 Answers
          10






          active

          oldest

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          active

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          active

          oldest

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          29














          I think this is dependent on the convention in the country or location where you are publishing. In the U.S., it's double quotes, but in Britain, it's often single quotes. I believe France and Italy use guillemets. I've seen the dashes but I don't recall where they are used.



          The upshot is that, as JonStonecash wisely said, use whatever will be expected by and invisible to your readers.






          share|improve this answer




















          • 5





            I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

            – SF.
            2 days ago






          • 2





            indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

            – BKlassen
            2 days ago






          • 3





            In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

            – Mindwin
            2 days ago






          • 9





            Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

            – Andrew Leach
            2 days ago






          • 4





            @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

            – Tim Pederick
            yesterday















          29














          I think this is dependent on the convention in the country or location where you are publishing. In the U.S., it's double quotes, but in Britain, it's often single quotes. I believe France and Italy use guillemets. I've seen the dashes but I don't recall where they are used.



          The upshot is that, as JonStonecash wisely said, use whatever will be expected by and invisible to your readers.






          share|improve this answer




















          • 5





            I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

            – SF.
            2 days ago






          • 2





            indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

            – BKlassen
            2 days ago






          • 3





            In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

            – Mindwin
            2 days ago






          • 9





            Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

            – Andrew Leach
            2 days ago






          • 4





            @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

            – Tim Pederick
            yesterday













          29












          29








          29







          I think this is dependent on the convention in the country or location where you are publishing. In the U.S., it's double quotes, but in Britain, it's often single quotes. I believe France and Italy use guillemets. I've seen the dashes but I don't recall where they are used.



          The upshot is that, as JonStonecash wisely said, use whatever will be expected by and invisible to your readers.






          share|improve this answer















          I think this is dependent on the convention in the country or location where you are publishing. In the U.S., it's double quotes, but in Britain, it's often single quotes. I believe France and Italy use guillemets. I've seen the dashes but I don't recall where they are used.



          The upshot is that, as JonStonecash wisely said, use whatever will be expected by and invisible to your readers.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited 19 hours ago

























          answered 2 days ago









          Lauren IpsumLauren Ipsum

          67.5k6100222




          67.5k6100222







          • 5





            I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

            – SF.
            2 days ago






          • 2





            indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

            – BKlassen
            2 days ago






          • 3





            In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

            – Mindwin
            2 days ago






          • 9





            Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

            – Andrew Leach
            2 days ago






          • 4





            @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

            – Tim Pederick
            yesterday












          • 5





            I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

            – SF.
            2 days ago






          • 2





            indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

            – BKlassen
            2 days ago






          • 3





            In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

            – Mindwin
            2 days ago






          • 9





            Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

            – Andrew Leach
            2 days ago






          • 4





            @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

            – Tim Pederick
            yesterday







          5




          5





          I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

          – SF.
          2 days ago





          I can say Poland uses em-dashes.

          – SF.
          2 days ago




          2




          2





          indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

          – BKlassen
          2 days ago





          indeed french novels I've read have used guillements

          – BKlassen
          2 days ago




          3




          3





          In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

          – Mindwin
          2 days ago





          In Brazil the dialog is written with the dash. However the double quotes are gaining popularity as lazy translators use lazy software that cares only for textual content and not typography to make their translations. The norm, however is to use dashes. cobra.pages.nom.br/ctp-tec-tracoetravessao.html

          – Mindwin
          2 days ago




          9




          9





          Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

          – Andrew Leach
          2 days ago





          Please don't perpetuate the myth that British English uses single quotes. It's not a hard and fast rule by any means.

          – Andrew Leach
          2 days ago




          4




          4





          @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

          – Tim Pederick
          yesterday





          @MarkAmery: Sample of dialogue in books that happen to fall easily to hand: Lord of the Rings, single quotes. Mansfield Park, single quotes. Summer Knight (Dresden Files, UK printing), single quotes. Order of the Phoenix, single quotes. Star Trek V (UK printing), double quotes.

          – Tim Pederick
          yesterday











          21














          As a retired engineer, I habitually focus on the end result. While all of the choices are valid, I suspect that most readers will find all but the traditional double quotes to be jarring. If that is the result you are seeking, go for it. If you want the mechanics of dialogue to disappear then I would stick to said, asked, and double quotes.



          An exception might be in order if there are more than one means to convey dialogue, such as telepathy or some special communication channel. If it is important to the story, you might use one of the alternate approaches to signify the difference.



          Albert Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." My point is that you should use whatever is needed to tell your story. And, if it is not needed, don't use it.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 20





            +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

            – Evil Sparrow
            2 days ago











          • @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

            – Rich
            yesterday






          • 6





            @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

            – alephzero
            yesterday











          • @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

            – Rich
            9 hours ago















          21














          As a retired engineer, I habitually focus on the end result. While all of the choices are valid, I suspect that most readers will find all but the traditional double quotes to be jarring. If that is the result you are seeking, go for it. If you want the mechanics of dialogue to disappear then I would stick to said, asked, and double quotes.



          An exception might be in order if there are more than one means to convey dialogue, such as telepathy or some special communication channel. If it is important to the story, you might use one of the alternate approaches to signify the difference.



          Albert Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." My point is that you should use whatever is needed to tell your story. And, if it is not needed, don't use it.






          share|improve this answer


















          • 20





            +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

            – Evil Sparrow
            2 days ago











          • @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

            – Rich
            yesterday






          • 6





            @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

            – alephzero
            yesterday











          • @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

            – Rich
            9 hours ago













          21












          21








          21







          As a retired engineer, I habitually focus on the end result. While all of the choices are valid, I suspect that most readers will find all but the traditional double quotes to be jarring. If that is the result you are seeking, go for it. If you want the mechanics of dialogue to disappear then I would stick to said, asked, and double quotes.



          An exception might be in order if there are more than one means to convey dialogue, such as telepathy or some special communication channel. If it is important to the story, you might use one of the alternate approaches to signify the difference.



          Albert Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." My point is that you should use whatever is needed to tell your story. And, if it is not needed, don't use it.






          share|improve this answer













          As a retired engineer, I habitually focus on the end result. While all of the choices are valid, I suspect that most readers will find all but the traditional double quotes to be jarring. If that is the result you are seeking, go for it. If you want the mechanics of dialogue to disappear then I would stick to said, asked, and double quotes.



          An exception might be in order if there are more than one means to convey dialogue, such as telepathy or some special communication channel. If it is important to the story, you might use one of the alternate approaches to signify the difference.



          Albert Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." My point is that you should use whatever is needed to tell your story. And, if it is not needed, don't use it.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 2 days ago









          JonStonecashJonStonecash

          58224




          58224







          • 20





            +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

            – Evil Sparrow
            2 days ago











          • @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

            – Rich
            yesterday






          • 6





            @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

            – alephzero
            yesterday











          • @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

            – Rich
            9 hours ago












          • 20





            +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

            – Evil Sparrow
            2 days ago











          • @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

            – Rich
            yesterday






          • 6





            @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

            – alephzero
            yesterday











          • @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

            – Rich
            9 hours ago







          20




          20





          +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

          – Evil Sparrow
          2 days ago





          +1. If I saw angle brackets or dashes used for ordinary dialogue, I'd stop and go back over the last couple of pages, because I'd assume I missed the part where the characters are telepathic/wearing headsets/texting/whatever.

          – Evil Sparrow
          2 days ago













          @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

          – Rich
          yesterday





          @EvilSparrow These are <angle brackets>. These are «speech marks».

          – Rich
          yesterday




          6




          6





          @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

          – alephzero
          yesterday





          @Rich That's precisely the point. Standard English orthography uses neither < > nor « », so nobody needs to know what to call them!

          – alephzero
          yesterday













          @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

          – Rich
          9 hours ago





          @alephzero Wow. Ignorance as a virtue, huh?

          – Rich
          9 hours ago











          9














          The convention in English is to use double quotes, or occasionally, single quotes. Anything else if jarring and confusing. I don't know what first grade teacher said that hyphens or angle brackets are a routine way to identify quotes. If this was a teacher of the English language, he was just what I like to call "wrong".



          You might use some other notation for special cases. Like if you're writing a science fiction novel and you need some way to set off the aliens' non-verbal communication or the telephathic links or some such.



          You can, of course, always break the conventions. But have a reason to do it, not just because you prefer some alternate convention. As for any writing rule, if the rule gets in the way of the story, sure, break it. But don't break rules just because you feel like it.



          But for normal human speech, use quotes. Anything else, readers will have to figure out that you're using this other symbol instead of quotes for no apparent reason, and it will be continually jarring.






          share|improve this answer



























            9














            The convention in English is to use double quotes, or occasionally, single quotes. Anything else if jarring and confusing. I don't know what first grade teacher said that hyphens or angle brackets are a routine way to identify quotes. If this was a teacher of the English language, he was just what I like to call "wrong".



            You might use some other notation for special cases. Like if you're writing a science fiction novel and you need some way to set off the aliens' non-verbal communication or the telephathic links or some such.



            You can, of course, always break the conventions. But have a reason to do it, not just because you prefer some alternate convention. As for any writing rule, if the rule gets in the way of the story, sure, break it. But don't break rules just because you feel like it.



            But for normal human speech, use quotes. Anything else, readers will have to figure out that you're using this other symbol instead of quotes for no apparent reason, and it will be continually jarring.






            share|improve this answer

























              9












              9








              9







              The convention in English is to use double quotes, or occasionally, single quotes. Anything else if jarring and confusing. I don't know what first grade teacher said that hyphens or angle brackets are a routine way to identify quotes. If this was a teacher of the English language, he was just what I like to call "wrong".



              You might use some other notation for special cases. Like if you're writing a science fiction novel and you need some way to set off the aliens' non-verbal communication or the telephathic links or some such.



              You can, of course, always break the conventions. But have a reason to do it, not just because you prefer some alternate convention. As for any writing rule, if the rule gets in the way of the story, sure, break it. But don't break rules just because you feel like it.



              But for normal human speech, use quotes. Anything else, readers will have to figure out that you're using this other symbol instead of quotes for no apparent reason, and it will be continually jarring.






              share|improve this answer













              The convention in English is to use double quotes, or occasionally, single quotes. Anything else if jarring and confusing. I don't know what first grade teacher said that hyphens or angle brackets are a routine way to identify quotes. If this was a teacher of the English language, he was just what I like to call "wrong".



              You might use some other notation for special cases. Like if you're writing a science fiction novel and you need some way to set off the aliens' non-verbal communication or the telephathic links or some such.



              You can, of course, always break the conventions. But have a reason to do it, not just because you prefer some alternate convention. As for any writing rule, if the rule gets in the way of the story, sure, break it. But don't break rules just because you feel like it.



              But for normal human speech, use quotes. Anything else, readers will have to figure out that you're using this other symbol instead of quotes for no apparent reason, and it will be continually jarring.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered 2 days ago









              JayJay

              20.3k1654




              20.3k1654





















                  6














                  There are two other common options.



                  Italics.




                  Murder, she said.




                  And nothing at all.




                  Murder, she said.




                  Or more likely set up as narration.




                  She said murder.




                  I prefer anything to the nothing option. I honestly don't know what goes through an author's head choosing that. Do they think readers enjoy not being sure if a character is speaking or thinking or if the narrator is talking?



                  As an American reading in English, my preference for the other options is clear: double quote marks. Specifically, curly quotes (straight quotes, like you see in this post, are fine for online reading, but for a book, they need to be curly).



                  Italics is gimmicky for speech, though readable. I'd rather see them saved for character thoughts and other unspoken utterances.



                  Your other examples may be the preference in other countries that use English or in other languages. If that's the case in the language/country you're writing in, use them. None of them would make for seamless reading in the U.S.



                  Your typographic goal is to make the marks invisible and glaringly obvious at the same time. Just like "she said" is. There's no doubt who said it but you barely notice. Dialogue marks should be the same way. Your eye should glide across the page not even paying attention to punctuation, yet you know without a doubt which words were spoken out loud.






                  share|improve this answer


















                  • 5





                    As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

                    – gidds
                    yesterday















                  6














                  There are two other common options.



                  Italics.




                  Murder, she said.




                  And nothing at all.




                  Murder, she said.




                  Or more likely set up as narration.




                  She said murder.




                  I prefer anything to the nothing option. I honestly don't know what goes through an author's head choosing that. Do they think readers enjoy not being sure if a character is speaking or thinking or if the narrator is talking?



                  As an American reading in English, my preference for the other options is clear: double quote marks. Specifically, curly quotes (straight quotes, like you see in this post, are fine for online reading, but for a book, they need to be curly).



                  Italics is gimmicky for speech, though readable. I'd rather see them saved for character thoughts and other unspoken utterances.



                  Your other examples may be the preference in other countries that use English or in other languages. If that's the case in the language/country you're writing in, use them. None of them would make for seamless reading in the U.S.



                  Your typographic goal is to make the marks invisible and glaringly obvious at the same time. Just like "she said" is. There's no doubt who said it but you barely notice. Dialogue marks should be the same way. Your eye should glide across the page not even paying attention to punctuation, yet you know without a doubt which words were spoken out loud.






                  share|improve this answer


















                  • 5





                    As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

                    – gidds
                    yesterday













                  6












                  6








                  6







                  There are two other common options.



                  Italics.




                  Murder, she said.




                  And nothing at all.




                  Murder, she said.




                  Or more likely set up as narration.




                  She said murder.




                  I prefer anything to the nothing option. I honestly don't know what goes through an author's head choosing that. Do they think readers enjoy not being sure if a character is speaking or thinking or if the narrator is talking?



                  As an American reading in English, my preference for the other options is clear: double quote marks. Specifically, curly quotes (straight quotes, like you see in this post, are fine for online reading, but for a book, they need to be curly).



                  Italics is gimmicky for speech, though readable. I'd rather see them saved for character thoughts and other unspoken utterances.



                  Your other examples may be the preference in other countries that use English or in other languages. If that's the case in the language/country you're writing in, use them. None of them would make for seamless reading in the U.S.



                  Your typographic goal is to make the marks invisible and glaringly obvious at the same time. Just like "she said" is. There's no doubt who said it but you barely notice. Dialogue marks should be the same way. Your eye should glide across the page not even paying attention to punctuation, yet you know without a doubt which words were spoken out loud.






                  share|improve this answer













                  There are two other common options.



                  Italics.




                  Murder, she said.




                  And nothing at all.




                  Murder, she said.




                  Or more likely set up as narration.




                  She said murder.




                  I prefer anything to the nothing option. I honestly don't know what goes through an author's head choosing that. Do they think readers enjoy not being sure if a character is speaking or thinking or if the narrator is talking?



                  As an American reading in English, my preference for the other options is clear: double quote marks. Specifically, curly quotes (straight quotes, like you see in this post, are fine for online reading, but for a book, they need to be curly).



                  Italics is gimmicky for speech, though readable. I'd rather see them saved for character thoughts and other unspoken utterances.



                  Your other examples may be the preference in other countries that use English or in other languages. If that's the case in the language/country you're writing in, use them. None of them would make for seamless reading in the U.S.



                  Your typographic goal is to make the marks invisible and glaringly obvious at the same time. Just like "she said" is. There's no doubt who said it but you barely notice. Dialogue marks should be the same way. Your eye should glide across the page not even paying attention to punctuation, yet you know without a doubt which words were spoken out loud.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered 2 days ago









                  CynCyn

                  18k13983




                  18k13983







                  • 5





                    As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

                    – gidds
                    yesterday












                  • 5





                    As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

                    – gidds
                    yesterday







                  5




                  5





                  As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

                  – gidds
                  yesterday





                  As you say, italics (or nothing) seem quite common for indicating a character's inner thoughts, or other non-speech monologue. But for speech, speech marks are much clearer, as well as avoiding some types of ambiguity.

                  – gidds
                  yesterday











                  5














                  In simple prose in English use inverted commas “ ” or ‘ ’ It is a matter of preference which to use. Double quote marks are unlikely to be confused with apostrophes, but single quotes are shorter and less intrusive.



                  Paragraphing properly is also important. Each change of speaker requires a new paragraph, even if they only say one word.



                  Some authors dislike standard quotation marks. James Joyce (Ulysses) never used inverted commas, and hated that some editors "corrected" his manuscript to include them. He began each quote with an em dash at the start of a line and ended the quote by context or a paragraph break.




                  Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror then covered the bowl smartly.



                  — Back to barracks, he said smartly.



                  He added in a preacher's tone:



                  — For this, O dearly beloved is the genuine Christine [...]




                  Guillemets are not used in standard English, nor are the various conventions of double commas found in German, Polish and some other languages. „Guten Tag!“






                  share|improve this answer



























                    5














                    In simple prose in English use inverted commas “ ” or ‘ ’ It is a matter of preference which to use. Double quote marks are unlikely to be confused with apostrophes, but single quotes are shorter and less intrusive.



                    Paragraphing properly is also important. Each change of speaker requires a new paragraph, even if they only say one word.



                    Some authors dislike standard quotation marks. James Joyce (Ulysses) never used inverted commas, and hated that some editors "corrected" his manuscript to include them. He began each quote with an em dash at the start of a line and ended the quote by context or a paragraph break.




                    Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror then covered the bowl smartly.



                    — Back to barracks, he said smartly.



                    He added in a preacher's tone:



                    — For this, O dearly beloved is the genuine Christine [...]




                    Guillemets are not used in standard English, nor are the various conventions of double commas found in German, Polish and some other languages. „Guten Tag!“






                    share|improve this answer

























                      5












                      5








                      5







                      In simple prose in English use inverted commas “ ” or ‘ ’ It is a matter of preference which to use. Double quote marks are unlikely to be confused with apostrophes, but single quotes are shorter and less intrusive.



                      Paragraphing properly is also important. Each change of speaker requires a new paragraph, even if they only say one word.



                      Some authors dislike standard quotation marks. James Joyce (Ulysses) never used inverted commas, and hated that some editors "corrected" his manuscript to include them. He began each quote with an em dash at the start of a line and ended the quote by context or a paragraph break.




                      Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror then covered the bowl smartly.



                      — Back to barracks, he said smartly.



                      He added in a preacher's tone:



                      — For this, O dearly beloved is the genuine Christine [...]




                      Guillemets are not used in standard English, nor are the various conventions of double commas found in German, Polish and some other languages. „Guten Tag!“






                      share|improve this answer













                      In simple prose in English use inverted commas “ ” or ‘ ’ It is a matter of preference which to use. Double quote marks are unlikely to be confused with apostrophes, but single quotes are shorter and less intrusive.



                      Paragraphing properly is also important. Each change of speaker requires a new paragraph, even if they only say one word.



                      Some authors dislike standard quotation marks. James Joyce (Ulysses) never used inverted commas, and hated that some editors "corrected" his manuscript to include them. He began each quote with an em dash at the start of a line and ended the quote by context or a paragraph break.




                      Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror then covered the bowl smartly.



                      — Back to barracks, he said smartly.



                      He added in a preacher's tone:



                      — For this, O dearly beloved is the genuine Christine [...]




                      Guillemets are not used in standard English, nor are the various conventions of double commas found in German, Polish and some other languages. „Guten Tag!“







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered 2 days ago









                      James KJames K

                      1906




                      1906





















                          3














                          There is another style of marking dialogue, used very frequently on Brazillian Portuguese - the "travessão".



                          Personally, I find it clearer than those other styles as it enables you to create a sharp difference between what your characters are saying and what they are thinking.



                          When using the travessão, you have to play around a bit on how you write the text to push dialogue to its own sections. It isn't hard to do, but it creates a somewhat different flow to the text that - in my humble opinion! - makes it easier to structure the overall scene.



                          An example of it at work:




                          Camille was nervous, shaking inside her boots while strolling down the dark alley. She hated that meeting spot, but it was the only place she could think of that wouldn't draw unwanted attention from the local gangsters.



                          — Hey, Dumbface! Over here!



                          The sudden call made her feet jump and her heart race for a moment, but as soon as her brain managed to recognize the voice as being Adam's, her skittish behavior gave away in a sigh of relief.



                          — You're such a glitch, A. Don't scare me like that.



                          — That's not intentional, knife-ears. It was you that picked this spot, anyway. I told we could have used my place.



                          A short, stocky man walked out of the shadows, bringing himself closer to Camille with a large smile on his fair, jovial face. His behavior was cheerful and energetic as usual, even in the dire circumstances that prompted this rushed encounter. Camille couldn't help but wonder if there was anything similar to fear or worry inside that head covered by long, blonde locks.



                          Her voice went down to a whisper.



                          — Alright, alright. Now, please try to be quiet. We have important things to discuss.



                          "I'll regret this so much tomorrow morning", she wondered, as bad memories flooded her mind bringing her recent issues with her brother to the top of her mind. The chance was small, but if she acted soon she could very well reclaim not only everything he stole from her but last living blood relative she still had.



                          It was worth a shot.








                          share|improve this answer























                          • So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

                            – Liquid
                            yesterday






                          • 1





                            How does it indicate the speaker?

                            – Weckar E.
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

                            – T. Sar
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

                            – user28434
                            15 hours ago











                          • I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

                            – David Siegel
                            5 hours ago















                          3














                          There is another style of marking dialogue, used very frequently on Brazillian Portuguese - the "travessão".



                          Personally, I find it clearer than those other styles as it enables you to create a sharp difference between what your characters are saying and what they are thinking.



                          When using the travessão, you have to play around a bit on how you write the text to push dialogue to its own sections. It isn't hard to do, but it creates a somewhat different flow to the text that - in my humble opinion! - makes it easier to structure the overall scene.



                          An example of it at work:




                          Camille was nervous, shaking inside her boots while strolling down the dark alley. She hated that meeting spot, but it was the only place she could think of that wouldn't draw unwanted attention from the local gangsters.



                          — Hey, Dumbface! Over here!



                          The sudden call made her feet jump and her heart race for a moment, but as soon as her brain managed to recognize the voice as being Adam's, her skittish behavior gave away in a sigh of relief.



                          — You're such a glitch, A. Don't scare me like that.



                          — That's not intentional, knife-ears. It was you that picked this spot, anyway. I told we could have used my place.



                          A short, stocky man walked out of the shadows, bringing himself closer to Camille with a large smile on his fair, jovial face. His behavior was cheerful and energetic as usual, even in the dire circumstances that prompted this rushed encounter. Camille couldn't help but wonder if there was anything similar to fear or worry inside that head covered by long, blonde locks.



                          Her voice went down to a whisper.



                          — Alright, alright. Now, please try to be quiet. We have important things to discuss.



                          "I'll regret this so much tomorrow morning", she wondered, as bad memories flooded her mind bringing her recent issues with her brother to the top of her mind. The chance was small, but if she acted soon she could very well reclaim not only everything he stole from her but last living blood relative she still had.



                          It was worth a shot.








                          share|improve this answer























                          • So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

                            – Liquid
                            yesterday






                          • 1





                            How does it indicate the speaker?

                            – Weckar E.
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

                            – T. Sar
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

                            – user28434
                            15 hours ago











                          • I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

                            – David Siegel
                            5 hours ago













                          3












                          3








                          3







                          There is another style of marking dialogue, used very frequently on Brazillian Portuguese - the "travessão".



                          Personally, I find it clearer than those other styles as it enables you to create a sharp difference between what your characters are saying and what they are thinking.



                          When using the travessão, you have to play around a bit on how you write the text to push dialogue to its own sections. It isn't hard to do, but it creates a somewhat different flow to the text that - in my humble opinion! - makes it easier to structure the overall scene.



                          An example of it at work:




                          Camille was nervous, shaking inside her boots while strolling down the dark alley. She hated that meeting spot, but it was the only place she could think of that wouldn't draw unwanted attention from the local gangsters.



                          — Hey, Dumbface! Over here!



                          The sudden call made her feet jump and her heart race for a moment, but as soon as her brain managed to recognize the voice as being Adam's, her skittish behavior gave away in a sigh of relief.



                          — You're such a glitch, A. Don't scare me like that.



                          — That's not intentional, knife-ears. It was you that picked this spot, anyway. I told we could have used my place.



                          A short, stocky man walked out of the shadows, bringing himself closer to Camille with a large smile on his fair, jovial face. His behavior was cheerful and energetic as usual, even in the dire circumstances that prompted this rushed encounter. Camille couldn't help but wonder if there was anything similar to fear or worry inside that head covered by long, blonde locks.



                          Her voice went down to a whisper.



                          — Alright, alright. Now, please try to be quiet. We have important things to discuss.



                          "I'll regret this so much tomorrow morning", she wondered, as bad memories flooded her mind bringing her recent issues with her brother to the top of her mind. The chance was small, but if she acted soon she could very well reclaim not only everything he stole from her but last living blood relative she still had.



                          It was worth a shot.








                          share|improve this answer













                          There is another style of marking dialogue, used very frequently on Brazillian Portuguese - the "travessão".



                          Personally, I find it clearer than those other styles as it enables you to create a sharp difference between what your characters are saying and what they are thinking.



                          When using the travessão, you have to play around a bit on how you write the text to push dialogue to its own sections. It isn't hard to do, but it creates a somewhat different flow to the text that - in my humble opinion! - makes it easier to structure the overall scene.



                          An example of it at work:




                          Camille was nervous, shaking inside her boots while strolling down the dark alley. She hated that meeting spot, but it was the only place she could think of that wouldn't draw unwanted attention from the local gangsters.



                          — Hey, Dumbface! Over here!



                          The sudden call made her feet jump and her heart race for a moment, but as soon as her brain managed to recognize the voice as being Adam's, her skittish behavior gave away in a sigh of relief.



                          — You're such a glitch, A. Don't scare me like that.



                          — That's not intentional, knife-ears. It was you that picked this spot, anyway. I told we could have used my place.



                          A short, stocky man walked out of the shadows, bringing himself closer to Camille with a large smile on his fair, jovial face. His behavior was cheerful and energetic as usual, even in the dire circumstances that prompted this rushed encounter. Camille couldn't help but wonder if there was anything similar to fear or worry inside that head covered by long, blonde locks.



                          Her voice went down to a whisper.



                          — Alright, alright. Now, please try to be quiet. We have important things to discuss.



                          "I'll regret this so much tomorrow morning", she wondered, as bad memories flooded her mind bringing her recent issues with her brother to the top of her mind. The chance was small, but if she acted soon she could very well reclaim not only everything he stole from her but last living blood relative she still had.



                          It was worth a shot.









                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered yesterday









                          T. SarT. Sar

                          34117




                          34117












                          • So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

                            – Liquid
                            yesterday






                          • 1





                            How does it indicate the speaker?

                            – Weckar E.
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

                            – T. Sar
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

                            – user28434
                            15 hours ago











                          • I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

                            – David Siegel
                            5 hours ago

















                          • So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

                            – Liquid
                            yesterday






                          • 1





                            How does it indicate the speaker?

                            – Weckar E.
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

                            – T. Sar
                            yesterday











                          • @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

                            – user28434
                            15 hours ago











                          • I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

                            – David Siegel
                            5 hours ago
















                          So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

                          – Liquid
                          yesterday





                          So, a long dash followed by a break to the next paragraph. Neat.

                          – Liquid
                          yesterday




                          1




                          1





                          How does it indicate the speaker?

                          – Weckar E.
                          yesterday





                          How does it indicate the speaker?

                          – Weckar E.
                          yesterday













                          @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

                          – T. Sar
                          yesterday





                          @WeckarE. By context, usually. Traditionally, the last character referred is the one who starts speaking, and the others are then inferred by what they are saying. If you need to clarify further, add some breaks between the dialog to provide an extra descriptions and toss the ball to the next speaker.

                          – T. Sar
                          yesterday













                          @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

                          – user28434
                          15 hours ago





                          @WeckarE., you can have it like this — <Line of dialogue>, — <description of who said that, or just what character was doing while or after saying the line>, — <line of dialogue cont'd (if there is need to)>. If your text is dialogue heavy (and not yet a play script), em-dash punctuation is good way to make it easier to read.

                          – user28434
                          15 hours ago













                          I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

                          – David Siegel
                          5 hours ago





                          I have seen this style in old translations of Jules Verne, but not in anything more recent in English. i would avoid it (in US English) unless aiming at an antique feel.

                          – David Siegel
                          5 hours ago











                          2














                          As JonStonecash has said, the other choices would be jarring. I know that I expect quotation marks to indicate spoken dialogue.



                          While all are sound, the traditional quotation marks have the weight and benefit of tradition, rendering them invisible.



                          It is your book, but if you want readers to enjoy it, allow for the possibility that the punctuation you select can disturb immersion, if only briefly.



                          Quotation marks are so commonly used that the use of the others might make a reader pause and then go on - ah, yes, dialogue.






                          share|improve this answer





























                            2














                            As JonStonecash has said, the other choices would be jarring. I know that I expect quotation marks to indicate spoken dialogue.



                            While all are sound, the traditional quotation marks have the weight and benefit of tradition, rendering them invisible.



                            It is your book, but if you want readers to enjoy it, allow for the possibility that the punctuation you select can disturb immersion, if only briefly.



                            Quotation marks are so commonly used that the use of the others might make a reader pause and then go on - ah, yes, dialogue.






                            share|improve this answer



























                              2












                              2








                              2







                              As JonStonecash has said, the other choices would be jarring. I know that I expect quotation marks to indicate spoken dialogue.



                              While all are sound, the traditional quotation marks have the weight and benefit of tradition, rendering them invisible.



                              It is your book, but if you want readers to enjoy it, allow for the possibility that the punctuation you select can disturb immersion, if only briefly.



                              Quotation marks are so commonly used that the use of the others might make a reader pause and then go on - ah, yes, dialogue.






                              share|improve this answer















                              As JonStonecash has said, the other choices would be jarring. I know that I expect quotation marks to indicate spoken dialogue.



                              While all are sound, the traditional quotation marks have the weight and benefit of tradition, rendering them invisible.



                              It is your book, but if you want readers to enjoy it, allow for the possibility that the punctuation you select can disturb immersion, if only briefly.



                              Quotation marks are so commonly used that the use of the others might make a reader pause and then go on - ah, yes, dialogue.







                              share|improve this answer














                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer








                              edited yesterday









                              V2Blast

                              1466




                              1466










                              answered 2 days ago









                              RasdashanRasdashan

                              9,60811160




                              9,60811160





















                                  0














                                  I haven't heard of or seen dashes or brackets being used to indicate dialogue. Primary teachers make up a lot of things, for example that you can't begin sentences with 'because'. It is because they have to simplify things.






                                  share|improve this answer


















                                  • 3





                                    Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

                                    – CDspace
                                    2 days ago











                                  • Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

                                    – T. Sar
                                    yesterday











                                  • That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

                                    – Overmind
                                    17 hours ago















                                  0














                                  I haven't heard of or seen dashes or brackets being used to indicate dialogue. Primary teachers make up a lot of things, for example that you can't begin sentences with 'because'. It is because they have to simplify things.






                                  share|improve this answer


















                                  • 3





                                    Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

                                    – CDspace
                                    2 days ago











                                  • Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

                                    – T. Sar
                                    yesterday











                                  • That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

                                    – Overmind
                                    17 hours ago













                                  0












                                  0








                                  0







                                  I haven't heard of or seen dashes or brackets being used to indicate dialogue. Primary teachers make up a lot of things, for example that you can't begin sentences with 'because'. It is because they have to simplify things.






                                  share|improve this answer













                                  I haven't heard of or seen dashes or brackets being used to indicate dialogue. Primary teachers make up a lot of things, for example that you can't begin sentences with 'because'. It is because they have to simplify things.







                                  share|improve this answer












                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer










                                  answered 2 days ago









                                  S. MitchellS. Mitchell

                                  5,06811126




                                  5,06811126







                                  • 3





                                    Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

                                    – CDspace
                                    2 days ago











                                  • Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

                                    – T. Sar
                                    yesterday











                                  • That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

                                    – Overmind
                                    17 hours ago












                                  • 3





                                    Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

                                    – CDspace
                                    2 days ago











                                  • Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

                                    – T. Sar
                                    yesterday











                                  • That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

                                    – Overmind
                                    17 hours ago







                                  3




                                  3





                                  Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

                                  – CDspace
                                  2 days ago





                                  Because they have to simplify things, primary teachers make up a lot of things. FTFY

                                  – CDspace
                                  2 days ago













                                  Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

                                  – T. Sar
                                  yesterday





                                  Dashes are really common on Brazillian Portuguese and other latin-based languages.

                                  – T. Sar
                                  yesterday













                                  That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

                                  – Overmind
                                  17 hours ago





                                  That's because dash use is country-specific. Some use them, some don't.

                                  – Overmind
                                  17 hours ago











                                  0














                                  «TEXT» and "TEXT" are use for quoting /citation. The marks are used at the beginning and the end of the cited text.



                                  Example:



                                  "Of all things, I liked books best."



                                  «Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.»



                                  N. Tesla.



                                  - TEXT is used for dialogue. Example:



                                   - Do you have some water ?



                                   - Yes.



                                   - It is cold ?



                                   - No.



                                  Dash (-) can also be used as a pause line.



                                  Example:



                                   –  What's your name ?



                                   –  Like my grandfather - Michael.






                                  share|improve this answer























                                  • 「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

                                    – mirabilos
                                    17 hours ago











                                  • Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

                                    – Overmind
                                    16 hours ago











                                  • My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

                                    – mirabilos
                                    16 hours ago















                                  0














                                  «TEXT» and "TEXT" are use for quoting /citation. The marks are used at the beginning and the end of the cited text.



                                  Example:



                                  "Of all things, I liked books best."



                                  «Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.»



                                  N. Tesla.



                                  - TEXT is used for dialogue. Example:



                                   - Do you have some water ?



                                   - Yes.



                                   - It is cold ?



                                   - No.



                                  Dash (-) can also be used as a pause line.



                                  Example:



                                   –  What's your name ?



                                   –  Like my grandfather - Michael.






                                  share|improve this answer























                                  • 「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

                                    – mirabilos
                                    17 hours ago











                                  • Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

                                    – Overmind
                                    16 hours ago











                                  • My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

                                    – mirabilos
                                    16 hours ago













                                  0












                                  0








                                  0







                                  «TEXT» and "TEXT" are use for quoting /citation. The marks are used at the beginning and the end of the cited text.



                                  Example:



                                  "Of all things, I liked books best."



                                  «Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.»



                                  N. Tesla.



                                  - TEXT is used for dialogue. Example:



                                   - Do you have some water ?



                                   - Yes.



                                   - It is cold ?



                                   - No.



                                  Dash (-) can also be used as a pause line.



                                  Example:



                                   –  What's your name ?



                                   –  Like my grandfather - Michael.






                                  share|improve this answer













                                  «TEXT» and "TEXT" are use for quoting /citation. The marks are used at the beginning and the end of the cited text.



                                  Example:



                                  "Of all things, I liked books best."



                                  «Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.»



                                  N. Tesla.



                                  - TEXT is used for dialogue. Example:



                                   - Do you have some water ?



                                   - Yes.



                                   - It is cold ?



                                   - No.



                                  Dash (-) can also be used as a pause line.



                                  Example:



                                   –  What's your name ?



                                   –  Like my grandfather - Michael.







                                  share|improve this answer












                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer










                                  answered 21 hours ago









                                  OvermindOvermind

                                  1511




                                  1511












                                  • 「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

                                    – mirabilos
                                    17 hours ago











                                  • Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

                                    – Overmind
                                    16 hours ago











                                  • My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

                                    – mirabilos
                                    16 hours ago

















                                  • 「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

                                    – mirabilos
                                    17 hours ago











                                  • Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

                                    – Overmind
                                    16 hours ago











                                  • My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

                                    – mirabilos
                                    16 hours ago
















                                  「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

                                  – mirabilos
                                  17 hours ago





                                  「"…"」 is only used by people that both slept in writing lessons at school and did not ever come into contact with anything typographic. You mean 「“…”」 certainly. Similar for various kinds of dashes, with various widths of spaces around them; Unicode provides, thankfully.

                                  – mirabilos
                                  17 hours ago













                                  Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

                                  – Overmind
                                  16 hours ago





                                  Your comment is unclear. Note that this site re-formats certain characters. My initial dashes ended up as paragraph dots. Btw, [...] means more content was in that quote but it's not relevant to the point so it's skipped.

                                  – Overmind
                                  16 hours ago













                                  My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

                                  – mirabilos
                                  16 hours ago





                                  My comment is completely clear and formatted correctly. I used Japanese quotation marks 「…」 to quote the quotation marks. (Still didn’t grok it? Don’t use straight quotes U+0022.)

                                  – mirabilos
                                  16 hours ago











                                  0














                                  I want to add a piece of trivia from a book a read.
                                  In the book, the author used two types of marking for dialogue. He used thing like




                                  I was walking down the hallway, when I heard over my shoulder:



                                  – Hey, dickface !




                                  to express oral speech, and




                                  «Hello» I answered.




                                  to express conversations that where happening telepathically.



                                  As you guessed, this book had a fantasy setting, and the author used both formats to easily inform the reader HOW the conversation was currently handled.






                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.
























                                    0














                                    I want to add a piece of trivia from a book a read.
                                    In the book, the author used two types of marking for dialogue. He used thing like




                                    I was walking down the hallway, when I heard over my shoulder:



                                    – Hey, dickface !




                                    to express oral speech, and




                                    «Hello» I answered.




                                    to express conversations that where happening telepathically.



                                    As you guessed, this book had a fantasy setting, and the author used both formats to easily inform the reader HOW the conversation was currently handled.






                                    share|improve this answer








                                    New contributor




                                    Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                      0












                                      0








                                      0







                                      I want to add a piece of trivia from a book a read.
                                      In the book, the author used two types of marking for dialogue. He used thing like




                                      I was walking down the hallway, when I heard over my shoulder:



                                      – Hey, dickface !




                                      to express oral speech, and




                                      «Hello» I answered.




                                      to express conversations that where happening telepathically.



                                      As you guessed, this book had a fantasy setting, and the author used both formats to easily inform the reader HOW the conversation was currently handled.






                                      share|improve this answer








                                      New contributor




                                      Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                      I want to add a piece of trivia from a book a read.
                                      In the book, the author used two types of marking for dialogue. He used thing like




                                      I was walking down the hallway, when I heard over my shoulder:



                                      – Hey, dickface !




                                      to express oral speech, and




                                      «Hello» I answered.




                                      to express conversations that where happening telepathically.



                                      As you guessed, this book had a fantasy setting, and the author used both formats to easily inform the reader HOW the conversation was currently handled.







                                      share|improve this answer








                                      New contributor




                                      Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer






                                      New contributor




                                      Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                      answered 14 hours ago









                                      EllynasEllynas

                                      1




                                      1




                                      New contributor




                                      Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                      New contributor





                                      Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                      Ellynas is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.



























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