Why is dialogue formatted so differently?
Why is dialogue formatted so differently? It's like a totally different set of rules are used in regards to books and stories than normal grammar. Is there any sense of it? Why the comma before quotations if the tag is before and why have the comma inside the quotations if the tag is after? I am just trying to make sense of it in my head. Why are they punctuated the way they are!?
Top answer
It is purely convention. An experienced reader does not even see the punctuation because it is always the same.
- It is purely convention.
- An experienced reader does not even see the punctuation because it is always the same.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
It is purely convention. An experienced reader does not even see the punctuation because it is always the same.
0Some of the conventions go back to the days of setting type. The single dot tended to break off, so the quotation mark was placed after it to protect it.
CJ
0
Related Questions