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How to structure the speech of one character when it consists of two linked but independent phrases

English Language & Usage Asked by Freyja on February 24, 2021

If you were writing a quote structured like this…
‘You were right Izzy!’, said Ted, ‘there is something we can do.’

… would be correct to have a fullstop after ‘Ted’ and a capital letter for ‘there’ (because it is two separate phrases) or would it be correct to write it as I have typed it above (because they are still spoken by the same person and so are connected, and a capital is not required)?

Also, would this alter if the example were something like
‘It’s no use,’ said Fred, ‘go on without me.’ (e.g. would that need a full stop and a capital after ‘Fred’, or does the above work?)

Thank you!

One Answer

Taking your "Fred" example:

"It's no use," said Fred. "Go on without me."

The more common style is to end the first phrase by identifying who is speaking, and ending that as a complete phrase with a period. This makes it so the next dialogue phrase begins with a capital letter. If they are related phrases, they stay in the same line.

Also consider this (expanding on your example):

"It's no use," said Fred. "Go on without me. I can't keep up."

The pattern stays the same even if there is additional dialogue.

Answered by psosuna on February 24, 2021

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