As we discussed in the previous blog post, I know you know how to use basic punctuation. You’re good like that!
But sometimes . . . well, those fancier marks get confusing, right? Never fear! Let’s go over them so you can say,
“Yes! I knew that already!”
Or, “Oh, that’s what I thought but it’s good to know for sure.”
Or, “I never knew that. Good thing April clarified it for me.”
Ellipsis
Probably my second favorite mark, after the em-dash.
It’s a failing, I know . . . However, when put to good use, especially in dialogue, it (they?) can really convey a sense of reluctance or unease, absentmindedness . . . what else?
Perhaps a trailing off thought as one is distracted by—ooh! Squirrel!
Btw, ellipsis is a singular instance of the punctuation . . . while ellipses means more than one set. There are a couple of ways to execute an ellipsis depending on your personal preference or the preference of the publishing house. Whether you use the singular character … or dots and non-breaking spaces . . . is up to you.
But no matter what, it’s always three dots, no more, no less.
Exclamation point and Question mark
Probably somewhat self-explanatory, but I thought I’d cover them anyway.
Because these are the two most often doubled up or paired together which is, I hate to say it, generally frowned upon in publishing. Just as you wouldn’t use two commas together, nor two periods, exclamation points and question marks stand on their own.
They are perfectly strong and able to carry the meaning you intend without help. One possible exception is if your book contains a letter, note or text—we do all sorts of crazy stuff in hand-written/typed messages, and as an editor I allow most of it for the sake of realism.
Quotations, single and double
Double Quotes are used mainly in two ways in fiction: to contain dialogue and to quote someone or something which isn’t dialogue.
In US English double quotations are a must for containing dialogue, but in British English, they’re singular. Unless there’s a quote within a quote, then you use singles (USEng usage).
“She questioned whether this was even necessary, but her friend said ‘yes’ so she droned on.”
Like so.
If you’re mentioning something in narration that needs quotation marks, they also get doubles.
For instance. I saw a sign down the road that said “for sale” and I’m dying to see what the house looks like inside.
Yeah. I know. It looks prettier dressed in single quotes. But that’s not how we do things here, so I’ll gently correct you every time. After a while you get used to it!
And punctuation goes inside dialogue quotes always. Sometimes the quotes-within-quotes can get confusing but just remember: when it comes to punctuation and quotations, they like to stay inside. Like house cats. 😊
Big Caveat incoming:
BrEng is opposite of everything I just typed. If you’re writing for a British audience, they’ll expect to see single quotes for dialogue and double quotations for interior quotes. I’d definitely recommend an editor who’s used to the style to make those subtle catches.
Ping me to set up a free consultation anytime!