Q&A for How to Punctuate Dialogue

Return to Full Article

Coming soon

Add New Question

Question

How do I punctuate thoughts? Example: "It's a complicated mess," I thought to myself. Is this correct or without quotation marks?

Community Answer

This is correct. You can think of thoughts as speaking to yourself. As such, they are punctuated like any other sentence of dialogue.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 10 Helpful 17
Question

When a speaker interrupts himself and starts a different train of thought, is the first letter of the next thought capitalized? Example: "I didn't-as far as the-again, what I wanted to do..."

Community Answer

There is no exact rule covering this. However, most writers do not capitalize in that case. Side note: When writing in plain text, like here, where you can't create a real dash, you put spaces around the hyphen to denote that it is supposed to be a dash, not a hyphen. "I didn't - as far as the - again, what I wanted to do..."

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 5
Question

Which is the correct punctuation? "I like to buy clothes," she said. "They are very fun." Or, "I like to buy clothes," she said. "They are very fun,".

Donagan

Top Answerer

The first is correct.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 7 Helpful 4
Question

How do I denote an emphatic question such as, "What did you say!?" With the statement in italics ending with a question mark, or in another way?

Donagan

Top Answerer

There are three possibilities: (1) Use italics followed by a question mark but no exclamation point (mark); (2) No italics, but use a question mark followed by an exclamation point; (3) No italics, but end with two (or more) question marks. There's no "right" way to do it. Try them all and see which one you like best.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3
Question

How do I punctuate this: I said stop it! Like this: 'I said stop it!' or like this: "I said "Stop it!"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Depending on which rule of quotation marks you follow, it should be: I said, "Stop it!" or I said, 'Stop it!'.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 10 Helpful 8
Question

What is the definition of the "." punctuation mark?

Donagan

Top Answerer

A period or full stop (.) is the punctuation mark that comes at the end of a declarative sentence. It is also used at the end of many abbreviations and sometimes after each letter in an acronym. When called a "dot," it is typically used in website addresses.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 4
Question

How would I punctuate the following sentence? "That I don't know."

Donagan

Top Answerer

It doesn't require punctuation except for the period at the end.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 7 Helpful 1
Question

How do I add on to a piece of dialogue that is already a complete sentence?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Remove the closing quotation mark, then add to the existing sentence, or add another sentence (or more). Then use closing punctuation, followed by a closing quotation mark.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 8 Helpful 4
Question

How do I punctuate an action in a play script?

Donagan

Top Answerer

The action (or stage direction) is usually noted inside brackets or parentheses.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 8 Helpful 2
Question

How do I punctuate someone paraphrasing another person, such as during an interview? For example, X told me Y said ___, but it's not an exact quote.

Donagan

Top Answerer

X told me that Y said he was unhappy about how the movie ended. (Don't use quotation marks.)

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1
Question

Is this correct when showing a tag in the middle of a quote? "I said," she began, "you are very cruel."

Community Answer

Yes! Unless you are in a British English speaking area, in which the punctuation not included in the quote would be placed outside of the quotation marks.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 0