Crap. Wes, I am completely to blame; that was my edit and I should've done it when I wasn't as tired. I also could've eliminated Tom's double spacing but neglected to. My apologies.
When using an ellipsis: the correct form is to have one space on both sides. So it should look like this -- ... -- not...like that. Also note that some literary styles permit this -- . . . -- though that is generally frowned upon in many periodicals because of space use.
However, the comma rule is a great one to bring up. I notice it a lot with many people's posts.
Look at the sentence after you've typed it. When it contains a quotation, examine how you attribute it just like Wes said. There are times when a period can be used, others when it shouldn't.
"That is a lovely hat," Yukari said/replied/stated/shouted/stuttered/
mumbled/warked/etc. "It would fit well on my rack."
^ When using a verb that involves speech, a comma almost always best. The quoted material is part of the sentence in this case, using the verb of the attribution.
"That is a lovely hat." Yukari smiled and touched it with delicate fingers. "It would fit well on my rack."
^ Here, the quoted material stands alone. Note that the next actions are not speech-related.
Some authors would argue these are strict rules and verbs that imply mouth movements (smiled, grinned, etc.) or involve sounds (giggled, sobbed, quibbled, so on) could be used with the comma rule, like so:
"That is a lovely hat," Yukari smiled/giggled. "I want it on my rack."
Mouth movements as you can see don't make sense. However, some sounds do work, sobbed being the best example.
Oh -- and while I'm at it.
Using "pauses"
Writers generally have three grammatical tools available to them when using a pause: the comma, the dash, and the ellipsis.
From what I've read here, commas are rarely used as pauses, which is common in writers who use a lot of dialogue. There's no harm in this, but consider the following sentence:
"My mastah, uses me for examples, and I hate it," Yukari said with a sniffle.
With dashes:
"My mastah -- uses me for examples -- and I hate it," Yukari said with a sniffle.
With ellipses:
"My mastah ... uses me for examples ... and I hate it," Yukari said with a sniffle.
Notice the different pauses that come to mind when you use these. A lot of you might think you know this already, but it's good to keep in mind. Also note the grammar; the first sentence would probably lose the first comma.
One rule I bend constantly involves stuttering. Hyphens, in general, are okay for stuttering, but the correct form (in American English, at least) actually uses commas.
"Th-th-there is everything wrong with my mastah!" Yukari wailed.
"Th, th, there is everything wrong with my mastah!" Yukari wailed.
Again, notice the speed you interpret the quotation. The second one is very jerky, while the top one is much more staccato. Just something to keep in mind.
Okay, that's enough from me.
When using an ellipsis: the correct form is to have one space on both sides. So it should look like this -- ... -- not...like that. Also note that some literary styles permit this -- . . . -- though that is generally frowned upon in many periodicals because of space use.
However, the comma rule is a great one to bring up. I notice it a lot with many people's posts.
Look at the sentence after you've typed it. When it contains a quotation, examine how you attribute it just like Wes said. There are times when a period can be used, others when it shouldn't.
"That is a lovely hat," Yukari said/replied/stated/shouted/stuttered/
mumbled/warked/etc. "It would fit well on my rack."
^ When using a verb that involves speech, a comma almost always best. The quoted material is part of the sentence in this case, using the verb of the attribution.
"That is a lovely hat." Yukari smiled and touched it with delicate fingers. "It would fit well on my rack."
^ Here, the quoted material stands alone. Note that the next actions are not speech-related.
Some authors would argue these are strict rules and verbs that imply mouth movements (smiled, grinned, etc.) or involve sounds (giggled, sobbed, quibbled, so on) could be used with the comma rule, like so:
"That is a lovely hat," Yukari smiled/giggled. "I want it on my rack."
Mouth movements as you can see don't make sense. However, some sounds do work, sobbed being the best example.
Oh -- and while I'm at it.
Using "pauses"
Writers generally have three grammatical tools available to them when using a pause: the comma, the dash, and the ellipsis.
From what I've read here, commas are rarely used as pauses, which is common in writers who use a lot of dialogue. There's no harm in this, but consider the following sentence:
"My mastah, uses me for examples, and I hate it," Yukari said with a sniffle.
With dashes:
"My mastah -- uses me for examples -- and I hate it," Yukari said with a sniffle.
With ellipses:
"My mastah ... uses me for examples ... and I hate it," Yukari said with a sniffle.
Notice the different pauses that come to mind when you use these. A lot of you might think you know this already, but it's good to keep in mind. Also note the grammar; the first sentence would probably lose the first comma.
One rule I bend constantly involves stuttering. Hyphens, in general, are okay for stuttering, but the correct form (in American English, at least) actually uses commas.
"Th-th-there is everything wrong with my mastah!" Yukari wailed.
"Th, th, there is everything wrong with my mastah!" Yukari wailed.
Again, notice the speed you interpret the quotation. The second one is very jerky, while the top one is much more staccato. Just something to keep in mind.
Okay, that's enough from me.
