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 200 GPs were sent to Writing.Com Support  with this post.I mean, I noticed in a short piece I read there were several characters in the scene. When the first one spoke there were no dialog marks, but once character two spoke there they were. Is there more to it than what I thought ? Ex. How are you doing today? "I'm quite well. Thanks for asking" Do the marks imply the POV character is speaking and not required when other characters speak ?? Can anyone explain ? Thank You In Advanced ! |
| As far as I am aware, not using quote marks is allowed only when there is a monologue and no narrative - unless the narrative is emphsised as being narrative in some way, e.g. in italics. Just because you've seen it on here doesn't make it proper. Grammer requires quotation marks. |
| Using quotation marks to mark a line of dialogue is definitely the standard. Of course, you can diverge from what is conventional. Cormac McCarthy, for example, doesn't mark dialogue with quotation marks. Though, when breaking conventions, you should probably be aware of why you're doing it and what effect it has on the reading experience. Dialogue markers, for example, are there to guide the reader, to show them that they are reading dialogue, so removing them makes the reading more difficult. Using quotation marks for some dialogue and not other, that just seems odd to me. I guess, if one of the speakers have a unique voice, and you make that clear in some other way, like Terry Pratchett always using all caps when the character Death is speaking, it could make sense. Mostly, though, I think that kind of thing would look like an amateur mistake, IMO. |
| Hi, I found this for you. Hope this helps: Using Quotation Marks The primary function of quotation marks is to set off and represent exact language (either spoken or written) that has come from somebody else. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and sometimes poetry. Since you will most often use them when working with outside sources, successful use of quotation marks is a practical defense against accidental plagiarism and an excellent practice in academic honesty. The following rules of quotation mark use are the standard in the United States, although it may be of interest that usage rules for this punctuation do vary in other countries. The following covers the basic use of quotation marks. For details and exceptions consult the separate sections of this guide. You can find this at: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/quotation_marks/index.htm... Chrys |
| thank you everyone ! I will continue to mark my dialog with the quotation marks like I always did, unless, it is blatantly obvious who is speaking. I do not want to add confusion or make it difficult for the reader. |
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