English literature dialogues.

[Nezhul]

I was wondering. Is it a standard to use apostrophes for dialogues in english literature? Because in my country the standart is of another kind.

Example:
In my country:
- Blabababa. Blalala, - he said, - Blalalalalala.
- Blalala, - she replied
He shrugged.
- Bla Bla Bla!

in English literature:
"Blabababa. Blalala," - he said, - "Blalalalalala."
"Blalala," - she replied
He shrugged.
"Bla Bla Bla!"

And my Pratchett books have another type:
'Blabababa. Blalala,' he said. 'Blalalalalala.'
'Blalala.' She replied.
He shrugged. 'Bla Bla Bla!'


so what is really the right way to write dialogues in English?

[Johnmaster]

It's the second one :)
The third version is usually used when quoting someone, the " mark is actually called a speech mark, and is reserved for speech.

If I'm wrong someone correct me.

[les]

                     


I was taught, some 50 years ago. to use "double quotes" for speech and 'single quotes' for contractions, eg doesn't for does not.

Since times have changed it appears 'single quotes' are for speech and double quotes to highlight a fact or object.

English is a living language changing with new words and ideas from other cultures. As well as slang.


                     

[micheleFFS]

I've not heard or observed what Les said.

Written dialog, US English:

1. Put a person's exact words between double quotes. Include punctuation.
"Your place or mine?" he asked.

2. If the speaker's designation lies in the middle of the sentence, use double quotes for each section of direct speech and a comma at the end of the first direct speech and after the designation.
"I can't decide," she temporized, "unless I know more about your place."
(Compare to: "I can't decide unless I know more about your place," she temporized.)

3. If direct speech spans two or more paragraphs, use double quotes at the beginning of the speech, at the beginning of each subsequent paragraph, and at the end of the last paragraph of direct speech.
"My place," he bragged, "is at the top of that hill. The red mansion with the green roof.

"My bedroom has an eight foot circular bed with a trapeze and a mirror on the ceiling."

4. Designators are not always necessary; context may be enough.
"Get lost, creep!"

5. Put direct quotations within direct quotations between single quotes preceded by a comma. Capitalize the first letter of the embedded quotation.
"Then she told me, 'Get lost, creep,'" he complained indignantly.

6. When writing of a word as a word (instead of using it for its meaning) or when giving a definition in a sentence, set each between single quotes.
The word "sesquipedalious' means 'using big words.'

7. Apostrophes and single quotes look the same, but have very different functions. Apostrophes are for contractions like the apostrophe between the n and the t in 'doesn't.' 'Doesn't' gets single quotes in this context because it is being used as an example, hence the word is discussed as a word.

Seriously, look at extended dialog in any of my stories - or the other stories here. Nezhul, when I looked at your writing, I never noticed a problem with punctuating direct speech.

I'm very glad the writers here take their craft seriously.

Your obedient servant, former English teacher and still a professional writer,

micheleFFS

[Nezhul]

Interesting. Although Pratchett uses single quotes all the time. I wonder if British and US rules are different in that regard. I mean, Terry Pratchett was very smart and literate person, so he wouldn't use the wrong quotations, right?

[micheleFFS]

I'm not familiar with Pratchet, let alone how he punctuates speech, so I can't comment on that.

British English and US English do have different conventions, but I'm not conversant in that either.

In the end, all punctuation is a collection of conventions. The important thing is to be consistent within the document. That's what aids communication.

[philo]

Traditionally British English followed the same rules as micheleFFS quoted.

More recently double quotes and single quotes are used interchangeably.
Grammar has not been taught in UK schools in my life time (apart from basic literacy up to about age 10), in fact if you study English in the UK it is usually either a combination of literature and language (with the assumption you are going to not need many actual lessons to pass the language bit) or pure English literature.

A lot of people struggle with getting simple things like to, too and two correct, let alone the proper use of punctuation.

[Fledrin]

In the end, all punctuation is a collection of conventions. The important thing is to be consistent within the document. That's what aids communication.

I think this is most important -- consistency. People will learn early on what your dialogue markers are whether they be -blabla- or 'blabla' or "blabla." I'm reading Dracula (Bram Stoker) right now, which uses the single quotes for normal dialogue and double quotes for quotations inside of dialogue. Although I'm used to seeing them as being reversed, it hasn't hindered me at all. If you're concern is mainly on making sure the readers understand you, then using single or double quotes won't matter much, as long as you stick to one system. However, if you want to use the method that's more common in today's books, I would say double quotes; almost all of the books I've read use double quotes, and all of them used the conventions MicheleFFS wrote. In America, at least, that's what you'll see most of the time.

On an unrelated note, I just noticed that this looks like an owl ---> (")

[aimauanca]

I much appreciate this thread