Hello everyone,
I searched and searched to find whether this question had already been asked. If I missed it and this is a repeat for some, then my apologies!
Basically, I get quite tripped up regarding the use of punctuation within a sentence with dialogue. Even after reading a lot myself, I find there are different methods with different authors. Anyway, I have three examples I would love help with!
"John," mum called impatiently, "please can you get off he couch and put the groceries away?"
"There is something that you really need to know." confessed Lucy with hesitancy.
Michael wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "love isn't as easy as they make it out to be in the movies."
SORRY! This is like a little quiz you'd get in English class, haha. I have seen in some previous answers there are some great grammar/punctuation books by Penguin, which I will definitely have a look at. Does anyone have a resource they use for things like this? Thank you in advance and apologies once again if this is a repeated, or appalling question!
Jonathan, well-spotted. I missed that.
Michael wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "love isn't as easy as they make it out to be in the movies."
Sorry Adrian but I believe 'love' should start with a capital in this instance. Take away the explanatory narrative and it's the first word of a complete sentence.
Hi Rio.
"John," mum called impatiently, "please can you get off he couch and put the groceries away?"
This sentence is correct, though, you could have a period after 'impatiently' and start a new sentence with 'Please'.
"There is something that you really need to know." confessed Lucy with hesitancy.
should be a comma at the end of 'know'.
Michael wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "love isn't as easy as they make it out to be in the movies."
This sentence is correct.
It is best, however, to use reporting clauses like, 'mum called impatiently', sparingly.
Similarly, 'confessed Lucy with hesitancy'.
Surely you can show 'Mum' being impatient without adding 'Impatiently' to the reporting clause. The same can be said for, 'confessed Lucy with hesitancy'. Show Lucy being hesitant beforehand.
The most commonly used reporting clauses used in contemporary novels are, he said, she said. Except in a two person conversation where it's obvious who is speaking, then no reporting clause is necessary.
In contemporary novels, the use of descriptive narratives are rarely used as reporting clauses.