Can I have an em-dash clarification?

Jan74 · Dec 4, 2017

So, if I use the em dash to indicated an interruption, on the next line of dialogue would the first word after the em dash be capitalized?
example.

"Hey you can't use--"
"--yes, I can." John said.

or would it be
"Hey you can't use--"
"--Yes, I can." John said.

Lauram6123 · Dec 4, 2017

I believe it would be:

"Hey, you can't use--"

"Yes, I can," John said.

Unless I'm totally wrong, you don't need a second em dash to begin the next speaker's line of dialogue. You also need a comma instead of a period after "can".

Marlys · Dec 4, 2017

I wouldn't use the emdash in the second line of dialogue, and would capitalize the first word. So it would look like this:

"Hey you can't use--"

"Yes, I can," John said. (note comma instead of period)

Jan74 · Dec 4, 2017

Thank you both.

Boy my dialogue is going to need work regarding comma's and periods etc.....so much to learn!

MaeZe · Dec 4, 2017

Both Maryls and Laura are correct. The second sentence stands on its own like any dialogue would regardless it interrupted the first speaker.

The only time I'd use an em dash on the followup sentence when someone interrupts another would be if the interruption finished the sentence they were interrupting.

"How do you know—"

"—that Mary did it?" John interrupted.

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

But if any of the forum members here said I was wrong I would take their word for it.

BethS · Dec 5, 2017

Using the em-dash to finish a sentence that someone else started looks fine to me. ^^^

But in the OP's example, it's not necessary. And as someone else said, use a comma before said. Or after, if it starts the sentence.

"This is the way we punctuate dialogue," said John. (Or "...dialogue," John said.)
John said, "This is the way we punctuate dialogue."

Jan74 · Dec 14, 2017

Ok so I have another question then.

BethS- You're example John said, "This is the way we punctuate dialogue." Why is the T in This capitalized? shouldn't it be lower case t since it follows a comma and not a period?

John said, "this is the way we punctuate dialogue." You would only capitalize the letter if it's a name or a proper noun. Am I wrong? Man I'm so messed up on the dialogue tags and I've read a billion blogs and grammar articles but its really hard trying to nail down the basics.

So is this dialogue correct?
I finally blurt it out, “I quit my job Shane, and I’m not coming back.”

MaeZe · Dec 14, 2017

Jan74 said:
Ok so I have another question then.

BethS- You're example John said, "This is the way we punctuate dialogue." Why is the T in This capitalized? shouldn't it be lower case t since it follows a comma and not a period?

John said, "this is the way we punctuate dialogue." You would only capitalize the letter if it's a name or a proper noun. Am I wrong? Man I'm so messed up on the dialogue tags and I've read a billion blogs and grammar articles but its really hard trying to nail down the basics.

So is this dialogue correct?
I finally blurt it out, “I quit my job Shane, and I’m not coming back.”

Well, first off in your example, 'I' would be capitalized regardless.

But looking at your question:

John said, "This is the way we punctuate dialogue."

It's because 'This' is the beginning of the sentence even though it follows the dialogue tag. In Marlys' example the dialogue tag follows the sentence:

"Yes, I can," John said. (note comma instead of period)

It does seem a tad inconsistent. But it makes sense to me. :tongue

There are a lot of different possibilities and combinations, it is hard to keep them straight. I just check my grammar on a Google search when a situation I don't know or remember comes up. I had to look at four sites before finding a source on a dialogue tag first.

The Write Practice had that answer when the first three didn't.

Dialogue tags are found in three different places: before, after, or in the middle of dialogue. Depending on where the dialogue tags are, you use different punctuation and capitalization. ...

Tag Before the Dialogue
When dialogue tags are before the dialogue it looks like this:
Meghan asked, “Are you coming to my party?”
How it works:
Use a comma after the dialogue tag.
If the dialogue is the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first letter.
End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation (period, exclamation point, or question mark), but keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.

There are rules about whether the end punctuation mark goes before or after the quote marks and I believe there are some different conventions there, but that's a different subject.

Jan74 · Dec 14, 2017

MaeZe said:
Well, first off in your example, 'I' would be capitalized regardless.

But looking at your question:

It's because 'This' is the beginning of the sentence even though it follows the dialogue tag. In Marlys' example the dialogue tag follows the sentence:

It does seem a tad inconsistent. But it makes sense to me.

There are a lot of different possibilities and combinations, it is hard to keep them straight. I just check my grammar on a Google search when a situation I don't know or remember comes up. I had to look at four sites before finding a source on a dialogue tag first.

The Write Practice had that answer when the first three didn't.

There are rules about whether the end punctuation mark goes before or after the quote marks and I believe there are some different conventions there, but that's a different subject.

Thank you! Ha...yes after I posted I smacked my forehead because duh I is always capitalized so it's a poor example, but it's my sentence I wanted clarity on so I left it.

So basically the first letter inside the quotation marks is always capitalized?
I will check in tomorrow its 1245 here....I need to get my old ass to bed!

Bufty · Dec 15, 2017

Basically, the first letter of any new sentence, dialogue or not, is always capitalised.

In the case above, where someone interrupted someone else's dialogue with the specific intent of finishing off the interrupted sentence, it wasn't a 'new' sentence.

Jan74 · Dec 15, 2017

Bufty said:
Basically, the first letter of any new sentence, dialogue or not, is always capitalised.

In the case above, where someone interrupted someone else's dialogue with the specific intent of finishing off the interrupted sentence, it wasn't a 'new' sentence.

I know that the first letter of a new sentence is capitalized, but if the dialogue comes after a comma that isn't the start of a new sentence, or is it since it's in quotes. If the dialogue is written like this. John said, "this isn't fair." The word "this" isn't the start of new sentence, or is something inside a quotes considered a new sentence even if it follows a comma? In my brain the word "this" should not be capitalized because it follows a comma not a period.

Jan74 · Dec 15, 2017

Ok I googled and I found what you mean by new sentence. Thanks!

Bufty · Dec 15, 2017

Glad you found it helpful. :Hug2:

The best way to master dialogue layout and punctuation is to read it in books.

Any novel with characters who talk to each other will show you many 'John/Lucy/Margaret, etc., said,' examples followed by their dialogue. Sometimes the 'X said' is tagged on at the end.... ( xxxxxxx," John said.)

In some cases part of the dialogue may follow a comma and not be capitalised, but that's usually where the dialogue is a continuing sentence only broken by a tag.

Jan74 · Dec 15, 2017

Thank you!!!!

BethS · Dec 16, 2017

Jan74 said:
Ok so I have another question then.

BethS- You're example John said, "This is the way we punctuate dialogue." Why is the T in This capitalized? shouldn't it be lower case t since it follows a comma and not a period? John said, "this is the way we punctuate dialogue." You would only capitalize the letter if it's a name or a proper noun. Am I wrong?

Yes.

Inside the dialogue quotes, it is its own sentence. And sentences start with a capital letter.

Man I'm so messed up on the dialogue tags and I've read a billion blogs and grammar articles but its really hard trying to nail down the basics.

Have you ever taken a good look at how dialogue is punctuated in published novels? I think that might answer some of your questions.

So is this dialogue correct?
I finally blurt it out, “I quit my job Shane, and I’m not coming back.”

That's correct. However, don't confuse that with a situation like this--

John grabbed his coat and scarf, "Explain it to me on the way."

--which is incorrect. The sentence about John needs to stand on its own. It's action, not a dialogue tag. Dialogue tags tell you how something was said, so they would be followed or preceded by a comma.

Can I have an em-dash clarification?

Jan74

Lauram6123

Marlys

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MaeZe

BethS

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MaeZe

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Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Jan74

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Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

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BethS