helps the reader to understand the written communication by breaking it down into smaller components.
In writing direct speech, we will find so many punctuations on it such as, commas, quotation marks, ellipses, dash, tags, and period. We cannot deny that
punctuation is so important to make the reader or listener know the ideas which a writer or speaker wants to share.
a. Commas
Dykes 2007 states the comma separates direct speech from narrative. Comma is used to separate the sentences in direct speech reporting clause and reported clause.
For examples:
John said,
“I will come to your house.”
“We have to make the best decoration for this party,” they said.
There is no difference in using comma even there is a difference positions in writing the reporting and reported clause above.
b. Quotation Marks
Quotation marks or inverted commas are also known informally as quotes or speech marks. It placed either side of a word or phrase in order to identify it is a
quotation, direct speech or a literal title or name. Quotation marks are needed in writing direct speech. It can be an indicator that
the sentence is direct speech which is so different with the indirect speech. For examples:
He said,
“I will type a proposal.”
She said,
“They can do it better than me.”
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c. Dash
Dash is used to indicate the unfinished remark. When it has done to indicate the unfinished remark, it should be followed by quotation marks without any comma or
period. For examples:
He says, “Steven, we “ She answered, “Yes… but I don’t see what ”
d. Period
Period is used to indicate the ending of a statement. When we have put the period on a direct speech sentence, it should be ended with quotation mark. It can’t be
allowed when we put a period outside the quotation marks. For examples:
He said, “I will type a proposal.” She said, “They can do it better than me.”
2.2.3 Rules in Quoting Direct Speech
Greenbaum and Nelson 2002:189-192 state that there are some rules when we
punctuate in direct speech. It will explain below: – Initial Reporting Clause
A. It is usual to put a comma after the reporting clause and before the initial
quotation marks: She told them, ’We should not waste food when millions are starving.’
B. We may use a colon instead of a comma, particularly if the direct speech contains
more than one sentence:
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He turned to me and said: ‘For the first time in my life I understood who I was and what I was doing and why I was doing it.’
C. If the quotation is indented, it is not necessary to use quotation marks since the
layout is a sufficient indication of direct speech. D.
If the quotation ends the sentence, we put a full stop, a question mark, an exclamation mark, or a dash before the final quotation marks.
The reporter asked, ‘Has the general arrived?’ The crowd cried, ‘Long live the President’
E. The dash in indicates that the speaker has stopped in mid-sentence.
She said, ‘I have done my share, but you –’ F.
If the question mark or exclamation mark belongs to the sentence as a whole not to the direct speech, it goes after the closing quotation marks:
Did she say, ‘It is against my religious principles’? He actually said, ‘I am too busy to see you’
G. In the rare situation when the question mark or exclamation mark belongs both to
the sentence and to the direct speech, use only one mark and put it before the quotation marks:
Did she say, ‘Is it against your religious principles?’
– Final Reporting Clause
A. If the direct speech sentence would ordinarily end in a full stop, put a comma
before the quotation marks:
‘I’m not yet ready,’ he replied. Otherwise, use a question mark or exclamation mark as appropriate:
‘Do you know the way?’ she asked. ‘Lights’ he screamed.
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B. The sentence may continue after the reporting clause:
‘I’m not yet ready,’ he replied, and put down the telephone. ‘I’m not yet ready,’ he replied; then he put down the telephone.
– Medial Reporting Clause
A. The medial clause combines punctuation features associated with the
initial and final reporting clause. The punctuation before the medial clause is the same as for the final reporting clause:
‘I’m not yet ready,’ he replied. ‘You go ahead without me.’ ‘Do you know the way?’ she asked. ‘I’m lost.’
‘Lights’ he screamed. ‘Give me lights’ B.
If the reporting clause interrupts a sentence, use a comma even if the sentence would ordinarily have no punctuation:
‘When you are ready,’ he said, ‘let me know.’ cf. When you are ready, let me know
. ‘I know,’ he said, ‘that they suspect me.’ cf. I know that they suspect me.
C. The punctuation after the medial reporting clause depends on whether the first
part is an independent sentence. If it is, a full stop follows the reporting clause. If the reporting clause interrupts the sentence where the sentence would ordinarily have a
comma or no punctuation, then a comma follows the clause. If the reporting clause is placed where the sentence would ordinarily have a semicolon, the semicolon follows
the reporting clause: ‘The first two attempts to amend the constitution by convention succeeded,’ the
senator said; ‘the next two attempts failed.’
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D. The punctuation at the end of the sentence is the same as for the initial reporting
clause. We therefore have a full stop before the closing quotation marks and an exclamation mark in. Here are two further examples:
‘Did you say,’ she asked, ‘that she would see me now?’ ‘I have done my share,’ she said, ‘but you –’
– In General
A. It is normal to start a new paragraph when there is a change of speaker, whether
or not the direct speech is accompanied by a reporting clause: ‘What was in the letter?’ she asked.
‘I can’t tell you. I couldn’t read it.’ ‘Why not?’
‘It was in Spanish.’ B.
Use double quotation marks for a quotation within a quotation if you have used single quotation marks for the main quotation:
‘I said I’d take the job. Then I went to bed and thought, “What am I doing?” I don’t want my children to say “He was a good football coach”. I want them to
think that I tried to do more than that.’ C.
If the quotation is not in full, the punctuation mark that follows it comes after the quotation marks:
The Colonel says he regards ‘the past 20 years just as an introduction’. He des
cribed the pleasure of seeing how deserts had become ‘not the Garden of Eden exactly, but a bit greener’, though he made it clear that self - fullfillment was not
his aim. D.
Partial quotations draw attention to a significant part of what was said, and they may therefore be very brief:
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The newspapers carried reports of a famine of ‘biblical proportions’ in Ethiopia. Sometimes the party sounds a little too enthusiastic about enforcing majority
‘rights’. E.
In the last example the effect of inserting the quotation marks is to suggest that the writer does not accept responsibility for the appropriateness of the expression
‘rights’ in this context.
Whereas Azar 1993:364 in Zebua 2009 states that there are some rules in quoting direct speech. It will explain below:
– Put a comma after reporting clause: Lampard says, – Put quotation mark: Lampard says, “
– Capitalize the first letter of the quotation: Lampard says, “I – Write the quotation: Lampard says, “I will be a champion
– Put a final period and put quotation mark after it: Lampard says, “I will be a champion.”
– When there are two or more sentences in a quotation, put the quotation marks at the beginning and the end of whole quote.
For example:
“You come to my house. You take all my jewelry. You shot my servants down,” William said angrily.
– As with the period, put the quotation mark at the end of the quote.
2.3 Indirect Speech
