Punctuation marks in dialogue. Direct speech

Dialogues are one of the most problem areas in the manuscripts of beginning writers. As always, the most common mistake is redundancy: unnecessary descriptions, unnecessary cues, unnecessary “embellishments.” In dialogues, it is especially important to observe the principle “Brevity is the sister of talent.” Remember that a few extra words can make the characters' conversation sluggish or ridiculously pretentious.

Let's look at typical mistakes:

TIGHTNESS

Continuous dialogue should not be too long, otherwise it slows down the dynamics of the work. The conversation of the characters implies a real passage of time, while in general the plot develops much faster.

If a lengthy dialogue is still necessary, then it should be diluted - for example, with a description of the actions, emotions of the hero, etc. A brilliant example of a well-written dialogue is the dinner scene between Professor Preobrazhensky and Doctor Bormental in Bulgakov’s “Heart of a Dog.”

Another way to brighten up a long dialogue is to retell its individual parts:

Out of boredom, the Duma nobleman Endogurov told what the boyars in the sovereign Duma were talking about - they shrugged their shoulders, the poor: the tsar and his advisers in Voronezh knew only one thing - money and money. I selected advisers - ours and foreign merchants, and people without family and tribe, and carpenters, blacksmiths, sailors, young men - as long as their nostrils were not torn out by the executioner. The king listens to their thieves' advice.

A. Tolstoy “Peter I”

One paragraph contained what would have been displayed on an entire page in direct speech.

The dialogue slows down the pace of the plot and, therefore, focuses attention on this part of the novel. The longer the dialogue, the more attention it claims. Therefore, it is extremely important not to clutter it with phrases that do not contain useful information.

The girls said goodbye:

Goodbye!

Best wishes!

I was very glad to see you!

Come visit us!

We'll definitely come. We really enjoyed your stay last time.

Well, really, it’s not worth it. Well then, goodbye!

We could limit ourselves to one phrase: “The girls said goodbye.”

A similar problem is repetitions of the same thought:

Is that really what she said: go away?

Yes, that's right.

I can't believe it.

I swear! I gave you everything word for word. So she said: go away.

I don't believe. You must have mixed something up.

Of course, there may be exceptions to this rule, but you should still remember that empty dialogue is boring, and the reader misses boring things.

UNNATURALITY

Dialogue should sound natural. In the characters’ conversation, you should not use complex five-line sentences or expressions that are not used in colloquial speech.

You need to regularly water the sprouts, because otherwise they will have nowhere to get the moisture that is so necessary for their nutrition and full development.

They don't say that. It's better to rephrase the sentence:

Don't forget to water the sprouts, otherwise they will dry out.

Another problem: copying outdated expressions. The author was a fan of Dumas as a child, and it was ingrained in his subcortex that “this is how one can and should write.” The result is the following:

A thousand devils! - exclaimed the office manager, turning off the computer. - Oh, I'll be damned if I don't take revenge on these scoundrels!

To check if the dialogue sounds natural, read it out loud. Pretentious words will hurt the ear.

INCONSISTENCY OF DIALOGUE WITH THE SITUATION OR CHARACTER OF THE CHARACTERS

In novels by newcomers, there are often scenes where villains, in the heat of battle, talk with heroes about good and evil: in long sentences with adverbial phrases. If you think this is normal, try beating a pillow for five minutes while retelling the story about the bun. Did you get something coherent? Hats off.

It would seem elementary: a runner immediately after a marathon cannot give lengthy interviews, a fireman in a burning building cannot ask: “Vasily Ivanovich, please give me a fire hose!”... And yet, such mistakes are among the most common .

BOOKING WITH ATTRIBUTION

Ivan looked into Masha’s face.

What a great guy you are,” he said.

If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have succeeded,” she responded.

“Come on, it’s not worth it,” said Ivan.

We remove “he said”, “she responded”, “Ivan said” - and the meaning will not be lost. The reader is absolutely clear who said what.

A similar problem is unnecessary adverbs and other “clarifications”.

This is unfair! - the girl sobbed tearfully.

In this case, the adverb duplicates the meaning of the verb. “Sob” is quite enough.

Stamps look even worse:

Now I'll deal with you! - The Emperor grinned ominously.

I beg you, let me go! - the girl screamed heartbreakingly, wringing her hands.

"TALKING" VERBS AND LABELS

If possible, try not to supply the characters’ lines with overly “telling” attributive verbs. Emotions should be conveyed by the essence of the scene, and not by pasted labels.

There are writers who try to get around the adverb exclusion rule by pumping attributive verbs up to their ears on steroids:

Drop the gun, Utterson! - Jekyll rasped.

Kiss me, kiss me! - Shayna gasped.

You're teasing me! - Bill pulled back.

S. King “How to Write Books”

You should also not constantly remind the reader: this hero is a scoundrel, but this one is a handsome prince. When scoundrels “grin gloatingly” and princes “raise their eyebrows contemptuously” - this is a sure sign that the author wrote “arrogantly ignoring common sense.” Again, a character should be characterized by his words and actions.

LONG DIALOGUE IN SHORT SENTENCES

Where are you going?

To the village.

What's there?

Why?

Tired of it.

You won't understand.

Such dialogue turns off imaginative thinking. The reader begins to see not a mental picture, but letters. If a monosyllabic exchange of words is absolutely necessary for the plot, then it must be diluted with descriptions.

ACCENT AND SPEECH DISTORTION

You need to be very careful with the transfer of accent and speech distortions. If the reader even for a moment has difficulty reading phrases like “evolution is funny,” then one should refrain from literally conveying the emphasis. Suffice it to mention that the hero burrs.

SAME ATTRIBUTION

“I went to the store,” said Masha.

“Don’t forget to buy some sushi,” said the grandmother, counting out the money to her.

And some chocolates for me! - Dad said from behind the door.

You should not repeat the same attributive verbs over and over again, otherwise the reader’s attention will be fixed on these words. If it is difficult for you to choose an attributive verb, insert a phrase that will describe the hero’s action, and then his replica.

“I went to the store,” said Masha.

Grandmother counted out the money to her.

Don't forget to buy dryers.

It is absolutely clear to the reader that “don’t forget to buy sushki” the grandmother said. The rearranged phrase “dad’s voice was heard from behind the door” also allows one to avoid another “said.”

FAILED RENAME OF A FOCAL CHARACTER

If you have already mentioned the name of your hero and that he is the focal character, do not designate him with words indicating gender, age, profession, social class, position, etc. appearance. For example: “boy”, “accountant”, “countess”, “beggar”, “slob”. The reader looks at the world you created through the eyes of the focal character; accordingly, he cannot “call himself” an old man or a hunter. These are definitions for other people, for those with whom the focal character communicates

Petya, holding his breath, looked at Masha. He remembered everything - the trip to the dacha, the bike ride, and swimming in the pond.

How long have you been here? - he asked.

Masha shrugged.

Let's see. We have to wait for my father - he will decide.

“Young Man” knocks the reader out of Petya’s image. To make the scene look organic, you need to name people and objects the way the focal character himself would do it. Obviously, he can only call himself by his first name, last name or nickname that he likes.

USE OF A NAME IN DIALOGUE

Hello, Masha!

Hello, Petya! I'm so glad to see you!

What's wrong? During conversations, we almost never call people by name. Therefore, this dialogue sounds false.

RELATING THE WORDS OF A THIRD PERSON

I met Masha. She said: “Petya, why are you coming to visit me?” “Because I don’t have time,” I answered.

Try to either avoid direct speech altogether in direct speech, or convey the third person's words as they sound in normal conversation. For example:

Today I met Masha: she asks where I went. I lied that I didn't have time.

RETELLING WHAT THE HEROES ALREADY KNOW

You know, a couple of years ago orcs attacked our northern borders and burned five cities. And then King Sigismund the Fifteenth allocated three hundred thousand warriors on battle dragons...

Yes, it was not without reason that this battle entered the chronicles. Remember how they captured the Magic Stone of Omniscience?

Of course I remember.

INCORRECT USE OF FOREIGN EXPRESSIONS

Foreigners in novels by newcomers often speak their native language with wild errors. If you are not sure how to spell a phrase, consult a highly professional translator or a native speaker.

OVERWHELMING WITH SLANG AND FOLLOWING

If your hero “talks” exclusively about the hair dryer, the reader may not “catch up” with him. And if the hero rambles on for more than a paragraph, the reader may close your book and never return to it.

Swearing in literature is permissible only in small doses and only appropriately. Exceptions are avant-garde novels published in semi-underground publishing houses with a circulation of 500 copies.

What properties should a well-written dialogue have?

1. It must be absolutely necessary, i.e. Without it, it is impossible to develop the plot or reveal the personality of a particular character.

Example: conversation between Scarlett and Ashley in the library (M. Mitchell “Gone with the Wind”)

2. Each of the heroes must speak their own language own language. He needs to be given his favorite words, think in advance about how he will construct phrases, what his vocabulary is, what his level of literacy is, etc. The same goes for favorite gestures and poses. This technique will allow you not only to convey the information necessary for the plot, but also to create a reliable image.

- “Nymph”, put it in a swing, does it really give the goods? - the undertaker said vaguely. - How can she satisfy the buyer? The coffin - it takes a lot of wood...

What? - asked Ippolit Matveevich.

Yes, here is “Nymph”... Three families of them live from one merchant. Already their material is not the same, and the finish is worse, and the brush is liquid, put it in a swing. And I am an old company. Founded in one thousand nine hundred and seven. My coffin is a cucumber, selected, amateur...

I. Ilf and E. Petrov “Twelve Chairs”

It should be remembered that the heroes cannot behave the same way with everyone and speak in the same manner with both the queen and the longshoreman.

3. The reader must clearly imagine where and at what time of day the characters are. A living world must be created around them - with smells, sounds, atmosphere, weather, lighting, etc. But you shouldn’t get too carried away with descriptions either. Use “keys”: there are a number of images, the mention of which immediately sets the reader in a certain mood. For example, a clap of thunder is an alarm and a sign of change; birds singing - serenity; candles - comfort, intimate atmosphere (in some cases - loneliness), etc.

Evening at the end of June. The samovar has not yet been removed from the table on the terrace. The housewife peels berries for jam. Her husband's friend, who came to visit the dacha for a few days, smokes and looks at her sleek, round arms, bare to the elbows. (A connoisseur and collector of ancient Russian icons, a graceful and dry-built man with a small trimmed mustache, with a lively look, dressed as if for tennis.) He looks and says:

Kuma, can I kiss your hand? I can't watch calmly.

Hands are soaked in juice, he offers his shiny elbow. Lightly touching his lips, he says hesitantly:

What, godfather?

Do you know what the story is: one man’s heart left his hands and he said to his mind: goodbye!

How did this heart get out of hand?

This is from Saadi, godfather. There was such a Persian poet.

I. Bunin “Kuma”

4. For a clearer visualization of the action, show the reader that the hero not only speaks, but also gestures, moves, grimaces, etc.

Ay-ay-ay! - exclaimed the artist, - did they really think that these were real pieces of paper? I don't think they did it consciously.

The barman looked around somehow wryly and sadly, but said nothing.

Are they scammers? - the magician asked the guest anxiously, - are there really scammers among Muscovites?

In response, the barman smiled so bitterly that all doubts disappeared: yes, there are scammers among Muscovites.

M. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”

If the hero experiences strong emotions, do not tell, but show it.

You will never become an astronaut! - Ivan exclaimed angrily.

The same thing can be written as follows:

Ivan’s face turned purple, his fists clenched.

You will never become an astronaut!

Can you feel the difference?

5. Carefully ensure that the speech of the characters corresponds to the place, time, mood and individual characteristics heroes. If a person wakes up with a hangover, he is unlikely to be able to joke with girls; If a sledgehammer fell on a lumberjack prisoner’s leg, he would not exclaim: “Oh, how painful!”

6. The length of sentences in dialogues should correspond to the speed of development of events. In crisis situations, a person speaks briefly; at home by the fireplace he can afford flowery phrases and poetic comparisons.

I read the story and was speechless. It was transparent, flowing prose. Everything became convex and clear. Not a shadow remained of the former crumpledness and verbal confusion. In fact, not a single word was deleted or added...
- This is a miracle! - I said. - How did you do it?
- Yes, I just placed all the punctuation marks... I placed the dots especially carefully. And paragraphs. This is a great thing, my dear. Pushkin also spoke about punctuation marks. They exist to highlight a thought, bring words into the correct relationship and give the phrase ease and the right sound. Punctuation marks are like musical notations. They hold the text firmly and do not let it fall apart...

Konstantin Paustovsky (about how his first text changed after editing by the editor)

Spaces

They are a stumbling block for so many authors. Remember the following once and for all.

A space is never placed before: colon, ellipsis, comma, period, semicolon, exclamation point or question mark. I would like to highlight hyphen– it is not separated by spaces at all (except for one rare case that has nothing to do with this topic).

A space is always included: before dashes, opening parentheses and opening quotation marks; after dash, colon, ellipsis, comma, period, semicolon, exclamation point or question mark. In the case of quotation marks and parentheses, a space is placed after closing them only when the text continues without any punctuation marks. In all other cases (period, comma, any sign, etc.), a space is not needed.

Correct option: I love you, daughter, and I will always be with you in spirit. Be happy. Your dad. May 15.

But why? What happened to you, Elena?

Correct option:- But why? What happened to you, Elena?

No...no, this is a dream,” flying up to the mirror above the chest of drawers, I looked in surprise at straight hair, a pendant with verbena and a blue nightie with elephants.

Correct option:“No... no, this is a dream,” flying up to the mirror above the chest of drawers, I looked in surprise at straight hair, a pendant with verbena and a blue nightie with elephants.

Comma

Many people have a much bigger problem with commas than with spaces... But this is one of the most important punctuation marks.

I see no point in publishing excerpts from textbooks on punctuation in this post. For those interested, read about the rules for using commas, or in more detail. Now I will list the main errors that occur in the admin panel.

Comma when referring. For some reason, many people forget that any references, be they names, nicknames, etc., are separated by commas. For example:

Elena, everything is fine.

You are unbearable, Damon Salvatore!

Of course, friend, what are we talking about?

Well, beauty, let's take a walk?

Comma at revolutions. Remember: gerunds phrases are always separated by commas, regardless of what part of the sentence they are in. For example:

The elder Salvatore was sitting on the sofa, drinking a bottle of whiskey.

Standing under the streams hot water, the girl dreamed about how gorgeous this evening would be.

To place commas correctly when participial phrase , you need to know the word being defined. If the phrase comes after this word, it is separated by commas on both sides. If before, there are no commas. For example:

The jeans, which were set indecently low on the hips, were trying to slide even lower at any second.

The defined word is jeans. If you rearrange the phrase before the word being defined, you get the following:

The jeans, which sat indecently low on the hips, were trying to slide even lower at any second.

If the word being defined is expressed by a personal pronoun, then the phrase located in front of it is still separated by a comma:

Selfish in his passion, Damon dreamed of possessing Elena alone.

Comma in complex sentences. Everything is said very simply and clearly. I would like to add on my own behalf: learn to quickly separate complex sentences to simple ones. If you are combining several simple sentences, each of which has a subject and a predicate, then the correct punctuation marks must be used. In most cases, a comma is sufficient.

The full moon would come in just seventeen hours, and that tiny amount of time was all they had left.

As you can see, there are two different offers, so a comma is placed between them.

Damon measured me with a contemptuous look and, without answering, went to his room.

Here there are simply two predicates and participial phrase. If there were no revolution, commas would not be required, because both predicates refer to the same subject.

Examples of your mistakes (taken at random from several fics hanging for moderation):

Once again princess. I must hear these words clearly.

Correct option:- One more time, princess. I must hear these words clearly.

Well, you know the sun, you don’t come to me yourself, and I decided to come to you.

Correct option:- Well, you know, sun, you don’t come to me yourself, and I decided to come to you.

Yes Day, I have no doubt that you will not miss your chance!

Correct option:- Yes, Dey, I have no doubt that you will not miss your chance!

Damon froze for a second, and moving closer to the girl, tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Correct option: Damon froze for a second and, coming closer to the girl, tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Elena had just finished getting ready and was about to call Care when the phone rang.

Correct option: Elena had just finished getting ready and was about to call Care when the phone rang.

With difficulty, getting out of bed, the girl left the room, went down the stairs, and saw Damon, lounging in a chair, sipping whiskey.

Correct option: Rising from the bed with difficulty, the girl left the room, went down the stairs and saw Damon, lounging in a chair, sipping whiskey.

Design of dialogues and direct speech

Here we come to main problem every second author. Frankly, what surprises me most is the fact that such mistakes are repeated in bad fics and, in general, in pretty good works. Do you, dear authors, really not read literature at all? In this case, open any book and see HOW the characters’ dialogues are designed!

The rules for formatting dialogues and direct speech are almost identical. The only difference is that direct speech occurs directly in the text and is highlighted with quotation marks (for example, the hero’s thoughts); in dialogues, quotation marks are not used, and the characters’ remarks are separated by paragraphs.

It is said in an accessible and simple way about punctuation marks in dialogue, the rules of direct speech -.

Many of you like to write like this:

Sofia. “Without taking her eyes off the man,” she answered.

Correct option:“Sofia,” she answered without taking her eyes off the man.

Yes. Damon nodded.

Correct option:“Yes,” Damon nodded.

Oh, what about my things? I have nothing. - Elena gasped and stared at Damon.

Correct option:- Oh, what about my things? “I have nothing,” Elena gasped and stared at Damon.

Using the last sentence as an example, I will show you options for formatting direct speech during dialogue:

“I have nothing,” Elena gasped.
- I have nothing! - Elena gasped.
“I have nothing…” Elena gasped.
- I don’t have anything? - Elena asked.

If you want to continue Elena’s line further, then the following options are possible:

“I have nothing,” Elena gasped, “not even a purse.”
- I have nothing! - Elena gasped. After thinking a little, she added: “I don’t know what to do.”
“I have nothing…” Elena gasped and added: “Except for my purse.”
- I don’t have anything? - Elena asked. -Are you sure about this?

Sorry for the very strange proposals, I have to improvise. Let's try to schematically analyze the most popular options for writing dialogues. "P"- this is direct speech, the words of the hero. "A"- your own words, which are almost always written with a small letter. At the end of the hero's last line (before the enter) there may be a period, an ellipsis, an exclamation mark or a question mark. For convenience, I always use a period.

P, - a.
“Hello,” Elena smiled.

P? - A.
- Will you have some coffee? – Damon asked.

P! - A.
- Hello! – Elena smiled.

P... - a.
“I don’t know...” the girl answered.

P, - a, - p.
“Hello,” Elena smiled, “I’m glad to see you.”

P, - a. - P.
“Hello,” Elena smiled. - It's good that you came.

P? - A. - P.
- Sure? – Damon asked. - There will be no second chance.

P! - A. - P.
- You're lying! Damon said. – First of all, to myself.

P... - a, - p.
“He…” the girl hesitated, “he confessed his love to me.”

P... - a. - P.
- I... - the girl hesitated. – I don’t think it’s good idea, Damon.

P, - a. A: - P.
“I agree,” Elena nodded. Taking a couple of steps towards Damon, she added with a smile, “I think we'll have a great time.”

P, - a. A. - P.
“I agree,” Elena nodded. Damon's face showed surprise - he clearly did not expect such an answer. - I think we'll have a great time.

P? - A. A: - P.
- Sure? – Damon asked. He stared at Elena for several minutes, then warned: “There will be no second chance.”

P? - A. A. - P.
- Agree? - Elena was surprised. Hearing the tone of her voice, Damon turned away. - I don't think that's a good idea.

P! - A. A: - P.
- Great! – the vampire grinned. Having carefully examined Elena from head to toe, he concluded: “Now you need to buy a new dress.”

P! - A. A. - P.
- Wow! – the girl was delighted. Damon smiled when he saw her reaction. - In that case, I also want shoes.

P... - a. A: - P.
“Hmm…” the vampire feigned surprise. After thinking for a minute, he agreed: “It’s yours, Elena.”

P... - a. A? - P.
- Coffee... - Elena was confused. What kind of coffee can there be if she is afraid to be alone with Damon? - Probably not.

In fact, there are still many options in which some punctuation marks replace others. The main thing is to know the basic rules of writing, and this is: the author’s words are written after a comma/ellipsis/question mark/exclamation mark with a small letter!

Examples of your mistakes (taken at random from several fics hanging for moderation):

So we agreed. – Klaus smiled contentedly.

Correct option:“So we agreed,” Klaus smiled contentedly.
Errors: no space after the first dash, a period instead of a comma after the remark.

You will see both of your beautiful eyes when the time comes. – the girl smiled and repeated. - When the time comes.

Correct option:“You will see both of your beautiful eyes when the time comes,” the girl smiled and repeated: “When the time comes.”
Errors: no space after the first dash, a dot instead of a comma after a remark, a dot instead of a clarifying colon after the words of the author.

No. – The blue-eyed one snapped. - Too light.

Correct option:“No,” the blue-eyed man snapped. - Too light.
Errors: no space after the first dash, a dot instead of a comma after the remark, the author’s words are written with capital letters.

Elena, - Mom knocked on the door. - Finish getting ready, otherwise you'll miss the bus.

Correct option:“Elena,” mom knocked on the door, “finish getting ready, otherwise you’ll be late for the bus.”
Errors: The author's words are written in capital letters. In addition, the author’s words separate one sentence, and not two different ones, therefore it is more correct to write the second part of the remark with a small letter, and after the author’s words put a comma.

And after all, dear authors, it is not at all necessary to study Russian language textbooks in order to write correctly. It is enough to read, and not just online stories, although sometimes their level is quite high, but books. They are the ones who will enrich your vocabulary, will help you navigate such a “great and powerful” language as Russian, and will teach you how to correctly place punctuation marks. See examples of honored authors and format your text the same way!

Separately, I would like to address the betas: of course, you are not obligated to correct all the punctuation for the author. The task of the beta is not to rewrite the text. But this does not mean that you can afford to ignore such errors. After all, your name appears above the text of the work! Require literacy from the author, explain to him what mistakes he makes and how to avoid them. Otherwise, just don't work with it.

Hello! Competent writing of direct speech (DS) and dialogues allows you to increase the visibility of information and better convey general meaning written. In addition, basic adherence to the rules of the Russian language can be appreciated target audience.

Question correct design in the text (PR) will not cause difficulties if you understand the series in time important points. First of all, it is worth understanding that between the concepts of straight and indirect speech(KS) there is a difference. The first one repeats verbatim the original statements introduced into the story or narration of the author without changing the individual character and style (dialectal features, repetitions and pauses).

PR is introduced into the text without the use of conjunctions or pronouns, which greatly simplifies the use of KS.

PR: The teacher suddenly remarked: “Time is up.”

KS: The teacher noticed that time had expired.

In the PR text most often:

• written in quotation marks;
• stands out as a separate paragraph, starting with a dash.

Questions regarding how to correctly write direct speech in a text arise when its structure becomes more complex. For example, interruptions with the words of the author.

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PR begins or ends a sentence

Direct speech at the beginning of a sentence must be enclosed in quotation marks, including question marks, exclamation marks and ellipses. The period is placed outside the quotation marks. A dash highlights the author's words and stands in front of them.

“The train has left, now I’ll definitely be late!” - the girl exclaimed with disappointment.

PR at the end of a sentence is highlighted with a colon instead of a comma and a dash, while the words of the author are written with a capital letter.

The girl said with disappointment: “I came too late - the train has left, and I need to run to the bus!”

Let's finish with the examples for now. Schematically, the rules can be depicted as follows:

“PR (!?)” - a. “PR” - a.

A: “PR(!?..).” A: “PR.”

The author's words are included in the PR

“The train has left,” the girl thought sadly, “now I’ll definitely be late!”

If the beginning of the PR is a logically complete sentence, the author’s words should be limited to a period, and the final part should begin with a dash.

“Well, the train managed to leave,” the student thought sadly. “Now I definitely won’t make it to college!”

The conditional diagrams are:

“PR, - a, - pr.”

“PR, - ah. - PR.”

PR is included in the author’s narrative

The man sadly thought: “The train has left, now I’ll definitely be late,” and quickly ran to the bus stop.

If the PR is at the beginning of the sentence, it is followed by a dash:

“The train has left, now I’ll definitely be late!” - thought the man, and hurried to the bus stop.

Conditional design schemes:

A: “PR,” - a.

A: “PR (?! ...)” - a.

Rules for writing dialogues

In dialogues:

• quotes are not included;
• each of the replicas is transferred to new line and starts with a dash.

Dialogue example:

- Father has arrived!

“And now for a long time,” Yuri answered joyfully. - The expedition is over.

Often in one sentence the PR with a certain verb is used twice. This means that there must be a colon before the end of the PR.

“Father has arrived,” Vova said slowly, and suddenly cried out loudly: “Dad, how long will you stay?”

If the remarks are short, they can be written on one line using separator dash:

- Son? - Mom shouted. - It's you?

Having the knowledge described above, I think it will not be difficult to correctly write direct speech in texts in accordance with the rules of the Russian language. A schematic representation of the rules can be rewritten on a piece of paper and the information can be used as needed until it is firmly fixed in memory.

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In Russian, any “foreign” speech expressed verbatim and included in the author’s text is called direct. In conversation, she stands out with pauses and intonation. And in a letter it can be highlighted in two ways: in one line “in selection” or by writing each remark from a paragraph. Direct speech, to form it correctly, is a rather difficult topic for children. Therefore, when studying rules alone, it is not enough; there must be illustrative examples writing similar proposals.

How to highlight dialogue in writing

Direct speech “dialogue”, punctuation marks and the formatting of conversations in writing is a rather complex topic that needs to be properly understood. Firstly, the replicas belonging to to different persons, most often written from a paragraph. For example:

- Look into that nest over there: is there anything there?

- There is nothing. Not a single egg!

- Are there any shells near the nest?

- There are no shells!

- What's happened!? It's not like some kind of animal is in the habit of stealing eggs - we need to trace it!

Two persons, designed using paragraph marking, in which each new paragraph with a remark from one of the interlocutors must always begin with a dash and a capital letter. Replies may consist of one or more exclamation or interrogative types.

Secondly, direct speech, after which punctuation marks are placed in a special order, can be written in one line. To format the dialogue in this way “in a selection” without indicating who exactly they belong to, each of them must be enclosed in quotation marks and highlighted with a dash. For example:

“Well, what are you doing?” - “I’m afraid, what if the ladder falls?” - “The ladder won’t fall, but you might drop the basket with eggs!”

If author's notes follow one of the statements, the dash before the next phrase is omitted. And a comma and a dash are placed before the author’s words.

“She’s sleeping,” Tanya said. “Show me where he sleeps!”

Direct speech before and after the author's text

If, in writing a conversation between several people, the author’s preliminary words are included, then a colon is placed after them. Moreover, it is also obligatory in cases where there is no verb that determines the continuation of the conversation, but direct speech is clearly visible. For example:

Mother smiled:

- You are my smart girl!

You can also write this phrase in one line, only then you need to use quotes: For example:

The mother smiled: “My good girl!”

It is worth noting that unspoken thoughts or inner speech of the author are always highlighted in quotation marks, regardless of where in the sentence it is located. Echo sounds are also placed in quotation marks in writing. For example:

“Now I’d like some hot tea,” he thought.

I stand and think: “Why is this rain?”

"Hey, people?" - the echo repeated loudly.

Before writing words of direct speech, always put a colon after the author’s words and open quotation marks. The remark always begins with a capital letter, an exclamation point is placed before the closing quotation marks, or a period is placed only after the quotation marks.

Special cases of formatting direct speech

There are some cases where after the words of the author there is direct speech, the punctuation marks in which are slightly different from those described above. Namely, if in the absence of a verb denoting the subsequent remark, it is impossible to put the words “and said”, “and thought”, “and exclaimed”, “and asked” and the like, in such cases a colon is not placed after the author’s notes. For example:

Nobody wanted to leave.

- Tell us another story!

My words confused everyone.

- So you don't trust us?

How to highlight a quote in an email

Quotations given in the text are distinguished using approximately the same rules. If it is not given in full, then an ellipsis is placed where the words are missing. As a rule, quotations are always separated by commas, even if they are similar to Before the author’s speech, a quote with the first words omitted begins to be written with an ellipsis and, if it is located in the middle of a sentence, then with a lowercase one. Here, as in the case of direct speech, colons and dashes are used, which are placed according to the known rules regarding the location of the quotation.

Author's notes inside direct speech

In the case where the author’s words need to be inserted into direct speech in the text, the statements are enclosed in quotation marks along with the author’s notes. For example:

“I’ll go to my grandmother,” the kid said, “and that’s all!”

There are cases when quotation marks are not used at all, commas are used instead:

• If there is no clear identification of the person to whom the remark belongs, or when a well-known proverb is used in the text.
• When it is difficult to determine whether we are talking directly or indirectly.
• If the statement includes the word “says”. For example: He says, I’ll show you again!
• If the statement contains an indication of the source. Most often this applies to periodicals. For example: The speech from the stage, the correspondent notes, blew up the hall with applause.

If, when breaking statements, direct speech should not end with any sign, or a comma, dash, colon or semicolon was provided, then a comma and a dash are placed before the author’s words, and a period and a dash at the end. Then the rest of the replica is written in capital letters. For example:

“I’ll be gone for a few minutes,” said Helen. “I’ll be there soon.”

In cases where in the first part of direct speech there should have been a question or exclamation mark before the break, it is placed before the dash and the author’s words, after which they put a period and then direct speech continues after the dash. The ellipsis with colon is also preserved.

Instead of a conclusion

Direct speech, which is not so difficult to learn, in literary works occurs very often. Therefore, books can be a good visual aid for studying this topic. After all, visual perception, together with knowledge of the rules, can well consolidate knowledge on the topic “Direct Speech” in memory.

Punctuation marks, sentence patterns with the location of direct speech and quotations in the text are studied at school for many years, which is understandable, because this section of the Russian language is quite voluminous and has many subtleties. However, the basic rules that are most often used in writing are not that difficult to remember.

Continuous dialogue should not be too long, otherwise it slows down the dynamics of the work. The conversation of the characters implies a real passage of time, while in general the plot develops much faster. If a lengthy dialogue is still necessary, then it should be diluted - for example, with a description of the actions, emotions of the hero, etc.

Do not litter the dialogue with phrases that do not provide useful information.

The girls said goodbye:
- Goodbye!
- Best wishes!
- I was very glad to see you!
- Come visit us!
- We'll definitely come. We really enjoyed your stay last time.
- Well, really, it’s not worth it. Well, goodbye!

One could limit ourselves to one phrase: “The girls said goodbye.”

A similar problem is repetitions of the same thought:

Is that really what she said: go away?
- Yes, that's right.
- I can't believe it.
- I swear! I gave you everything word for word. So she said: go away.
- I don't believe. You must have mixed something up.

Of course, there may be exceptions to this rule, but you should still remember that empty dialogue is boring, and the reader misses boring things.

Unnaturalness

Dialogue should sound natural. You should not use complex five-line sentences or expressions in conversation that are not used in real speech.

You need to regularly water the sprouts, because otherwise they will have nowhere to get the moisture that is so necessary for their nutrition and full development.

They don't say that. It's better to rephrase the sentence:

Don't forget to water the sprouts, otherwise they will dry out.

Exception to this rule: the hero deliberately tries to speak like a book, and it is clear that this is not stylistic error, but the author's idea.

Obsolete expressions

A thousand devils! - exclaimed the office manager, turning off the computer. - Oh, I'll be damned if I don't take revenge on these scoundrels!

To check if dialogue sounds natural, read it out loud. Extra words will hurt your ear.

Inconsistency of dialogue with the situation or character of the characters

In the novels of newcomers, there are often scenes in which villains, in the heat of battle, talk with heroes about Good and Evil - long sentences with adverbial phrases.

If you think this is normal, try beating a pillow for five minutes while retelling the story about Kolobok.

Did you get something coherent? Hats off.

A runner immediately after a marathon cannot give lengthy interviews, a fireman in a burning building will not ask: “Please, Vasily Ivanovich, give me a fire hose!”

Overkill with attribution

Ivan looked into Masha’s face.
“What a fine fellow you are,” he said.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have succeeded,” she responded.
“Come on, it’s not worth it,” said Ivan.

We remove “he said”, “she responded”, “Ivan said” - and the meaning is not lost. The reader is absolutely clear who said what.

Extra adverbs and other clarifications

This is unfair! - the girl sobbed tearfully.

In this case, the adverb duplicates the meaning of the verb. The word “sobbed” is quite enough.

Stamps look even worse.

Now I'll deal with you! - grinned sinisterly Emperor.
- I beg you, let me go! - screamed heartbreakingly girl wringing her hands.

Same type attribution

“Don’t forget to buy some sushi,” said the grandmother, counting out the money to her.
- And I’ll have some chocolates! - Dad said from behind the door.

You should not repeat the same attributive verbs over and over again, otherwise the reader’s attention will be fixed on these words. If it is difficult for you to choose an attributive verb, insert a phrase that will describe the hero’s action, and then his replica.

“I went to the store,” said Masha.
Grandmother counted out the money to her.
- Don't forget to buy dryers.
- And I’ll have some chocolates! - Dad’s voice was heard from behind the door.

Speaking verbs and shortcuts

If possible, try not to supply the characters’ lines with overly telling attributive verbs. Emotions should be conveyed by the essence of the scene, and not by pasted labels.

An example of such “steroid-pumped” attributive verbs is given by Stephen King in the manual “How to Write Books”:

Drop the gun, Utterson! - Jekyll rasped.

Kiss me, kiss me! - Shayna gasped.

You're teasing me! - Bill pulled back.

You should also not constantly remind the reader: this character is a scoundrel, but this one is prince charming. When scoundrels “grin gloatingly” and princes “raise their eyebrows contemptuously” - this is a sure sign that the author wrote “arrogantly ignoring common sense.” The hero must be characterized by his words and actions.

Long dialogue of short sentences

Where are you going?
- To the village.
- What's there?
- Nothing.
- Why?
- Tired of it.
- Why?
- You won't understand.

Such dialogue turns off imaginative thinking. The reader begins to see not a mental picture, but letters. If a monosyllabic exchange of words is absolutely necessary for the plot, then it must be diluted with descriptions.

Accent and speech distortion

You need to be very careful with the transfer of accent and speech distortions. If the reader may even for a moment have difficulty reading phrases like “evolution is funny,” then it is better to simply mention that the hero is burring.

Using a name in dialogue

Hello, Masha!
- Hello, Petya! I'm so glad to see you!

What's wrong? During a conversation, we rarely call people by name, especially if no one is nearby. Therefore, this dialogue sounds false.

Retelling other people's words

I met Masha. She said: “Petya, why don’t you come to visit me?” “Because I don’t have time,” I answered.

Try to avoid direct speech in direct speech or convey other people's words as they sound in everyday conversation.

Today I met Masha. She asked where I had gone, and I lied that I didn’t have time.

Retelling what the characters already know

You know, a couple of years ago, orcs attacked our northern borders and burned five cities. And then King Sigismund the Fifteenth allocated three hundred thousand warriors on battle dragons...
- Yes, this battle was included in the chronicles for a reason. Remember how they captured the Magic Stone of Omniscience?
- Of course, I remember.

Incorrect use of foreign expressions

Foreigners in novels by newcomers often speak their native language with wild errors. If you are not sure how to spell a phrase, consult a professional translator or native speaker.

Too much slang and obscenities

If your hero “talks” exclusively about the hair dryer, the reader may not “catch up” with him.

Swearing in literature is permissible only in small doses and only appropriately. Exceptions are “avant-garde” novels published in a circulation of 500 copies.

We remember that no one will judge us for the absence of profanity, but it is quite possible to confuse readers due to the abundance of obscenities.

What properties should a well-written dialogue have?

1. It must be absolutely necessary, that is, without it it is impossible to develop the plot or reveal the personality of a particular character. An example is the conversation between Chichikov and Nozdryov (N. Gogol. “Dead Souls”).

2. Each of the heroes must speak their own language. He needs to be given his favorite words, think in advance about how he will construct phrases, what his vocabulary is, what his level of literacy is, etc. This technique will allow you not only to convey the information necessary for the plot, but also to create a reliable image.

Nymph, put her in a swing, does she really give the goods? - the undertaker said vaguely. - How can she satisfy the buyer? The coffin - it takes a lot of wood...
- What? - asked Ippolit Matveevich.

Yes, here is the “Nymph”... Three families of them live from one merchant. Already their material is not the same, and the finish is worse, and the brush is liquid, put it in a swing. And I am an old company. Founded in one thousand nine hundred and seven. My coffin is a cucumber, selected, amateur...

I. Ilf and E. Petrov. "Twelve Chairs"

It should be remembered that the heroes cannot behave the same way with everyone and speak in the same manner with both the queen and the longshoreman.

3. Characters should not talk in a vacuum. Create a living world around them - with smells, sounds, furnishings, weather, lighting, etc.

Evening at the end of June. The samovar has not yet been removed from the table on the terrace. The housewife peels berries for jam. Her husband's friend, who came to visit the dacha for a few days, smokes and looks at her sleek, round arms, bare to the elbows. (A connoisseur and collector of ancient Russian icons, a graceful and dry-built man with a small trimmed mustache, with a lively look, dressed as if for tennis.) He looks and says:

Kuma, can I kiss your hand? I can't watch calmly.

Hands are soaked in juice, he offers his shiny elbow.

Lightly touching his lips, he says hesitantly:
- Kuma...
- What, godfather?
- You know what the story is: one man’s heart left his hands, and he said to his mind: goodbye!
- How did this heart leave your hands?
- This is from Saadi, godfather. There was such a Persian poet.

I. Bunin. "Kuma"

4. Let the characters not only speak, but also gesticulate, move, grimace, etc.

Ay-ay-ay! - exclaimed the artist, - did they really think that these were real pieces of paper? I don't think they did it consciously.
The barman looked around somehow wryly and sadly, but said nothing.
- Are they scammers? - the magician asked the guest anxiously, - are there really scammers among Muscovites?
In response, the barman smiled so bitterly that all doubts disappeared: yes, there are scammers among Muscovites.

M. Bulgakov. "The Master and Margarita"

5. Make sure that the characters’ speech corresponds to the place, time, mood and individual characteristics of the characters. If a person wakes up with a hangover, he is unlikely to be able to joke with girls; If a sledgehammer fell on a lumberjack prisoner’s leg, he would not exclaim: “Oh, how painful!”

6. The length of sentences in dialogues should be correlated with the speed of development of events. In crisis situations, a person speaks briefly; at home by the fireplace he can afford flowery phrases and poetic comparisons.