Direct speech spelling. Rules for using direct speech in text
The most pressing problem of all authors on Fikbook is the design of direct speech and dialogues. Everyone puts punctuation marks however they want and where they want. And this, I admit, is more than annoying. Seeing an illiterately designed text, many people stop reading it without even really starting. Therefore, for your own sake, for the sake of your readers, dear authors, take the trouble to formalize direct speech with dignity.
Here's an example from some fanfic (literally the first one I came across; names and titles have been changed):
“- Rose answered me, “I will take you to Lim tomorrow, it’s already dark!” “Rosa and I walked through the forest to her house...”
And such examples can be found great amount. Of course, I understand that there are people who simply did not go through this topic at school, but still this design is no good. Let me explain to you how to correctly place punctuation marks in dialogue and direct speech. Let's start with the last one.
Direct speech
Direct speech is a person’s words conveyed directly in the form in which they were spoken.
Eg:
When we approached the estate, the driver jumped to the ground and, opening the door of the chaise, helpfully said: “Please, sir.”
"Where are you in such a hurry?" - the teacher shouted after me.
To correctly place punctuation marks when narrative direct speech, remember the visual diagrams.
"P", - a.
The letter “A (a)” here means the words of the author, and the letter “P” means direct speech. The letter "P" in both cases is large, which means direct speech always begins with capital letters. But the author’s words can begin with either a capital or a small letter. With a big- if the words of the author precede direct speech; with a little one- if the author's words stand after direct speech.
Regarding punctuation marks, here is the order:
➤ Direct speech is always placed in quotation marks.
➤ If a sentence with direct speech is declarative and stands before the words of the author, then a comma is needed after the quotation marks:
“We’re already approaching,” the conductor warned, opening the compartment door.
➤ If narrative direct speech occurs after the words of the author, then the period is placed after the quotation marks (see first example).
➤ But if direct speech is exclamatory or interrogative, then exclamation and question marks are never placed outside quotation marks(see second example) and after them other punctuation marks (period, comma) are never placed.
“P!/?/...” - a.
A: “P!/?/...”
These were the most simple examples. But it happens when the author’s speech interferes and divides direct speech. And then the schemes are more complicated and there are more rules.
1) “P, - a, - p.”
Let me explain: if the author’s words break the sentence in the middle, then commas are placed after the direct speech and the author’s words; at the beginning, direct speech begins with a capital letter, and after the words of the author - with a small letter. Quotation marks are placed at the beginning of direct speech and at the very end. Quotes are not needed either before or after the author’s words.
“You know,” I began hesitantly, “maybe she’s right.”
2) “P!/?/... - a. - P".
Let me explain: if the author’s words divide direct speech at the place where the sentence ends, then everything is the same as in the previous case, only after the author’s speech a period is placed, and the direct speech following the author’s words begins with a capital letter.
“Oh, I can’t! - Kolya burst out laughing. - Wow!"
“It was not for nothing that Peter the Great received the nickname “The Great,” said our lecturer. “He did a lot for Russia.”
➤ If direct speech fits between the words of the author, then a colon is placed before the direct speech, and a dash after it. The format looks like this:
A: “P” - a.
A: “P!/?/...” - a.
For example:
The boy, wiping his sweat, said quietly: “Eh, I wish I could eat some ice cream...” - then he closed his eyes dreamily and licked his lips.
➤ There is one more important point. It consists in the fact that sometimes a colon is placed before the direct speech and after the author’s speech. This is done when the beginning of direct speech and its end correspond to in different words in the author's speech.
"Why are you here?" - the girl asked, looking at the newcomer in amazement, and immediately added sharply: “I don’t want to see you.”
The first remark refers to the word “asked”, the second refers to the word “added”, so a colon is needed here. There are, as it were, two direct speeches here.
Dialogue design
The rules for formatting dialogue are essentially no different from the rules for formatting direct speech. Everything is absolutely the same, only at the beginning of the remark there is a dash and there are no quotation marks. In addition, each replica is written on a new line.
“Grandma, read a fairy tale,” the baby asked, pulling on the blanket.
A fairy tale? - asked the grandmother. - Come on. Which one?
The wolf and the seven Young goats! The wolf and the seven Young goats! - the baby immediately squealed joyfully.
“Oh,” the grandmother smiled and, sitting down on the bed, patted her grandson’s hair, “my little goat.”
I'm not a kid! - the boy was indignant and, frowning, said more quietly: - I’m a wolf cub.
➤ All dialogues can be presented in a slightly different form. Personally, I find it more complicated, but in some situations I use it. So take note:
“Grandma, read a fairy tale!” - “Which one?” - "The wolf and the seven Young goats!" - “Oh, my little goat.”
Replies in this case are written on one line, separated by a dash and placed in quotation marks.
➤ For Fikbook, however, you will have to add one more rule to everything else: Dear authors, be sure to put spaces before and after the dash! It is impossible to read without spaces; the words merge into one. Respect your readers and don’t be lazy to press the longest button on your keyboard once again.
This was the last thing I wanted to tell you about. I hope the article helped you and you will write and format your work more competently. It's not that difficult.
Good luck to you and success in your creativity!
Punctuation
§ 195. To highlight direct speech, dashes or quotation marks are used, namely:
1. If direct speech begins with a paragraph, then a dash is placed before the beginning, for example:
-Have you seen your mother?
2. If direct speech is in a line, without a paragraph, then quotation marks are placed before the beginning and at the end, for example:
The little girl ran and shouted: “Have you seen your mother?”
Note. Quotations inserted in the middle of a sentence are also marked with quotation marks, but they are not preceded by a colon, for example:
Gogol rightly said that “in Pushkin, as if in the lexicon, all the wealth, flexibility and strength of our language was contained.”
§ 196. A sentence that stands in direct speech and indicates to whom it belongs (“the words of the author”) can:
a) precede direct speech; in this case, a colon is placed after it, and after direct speech - a punctuation mark in accordance with the nature of direct speech, for example:
He turned away and, walking away, muttered: “Still, this is completely against the rules.”
b) follow direct speech; in this case, after direct speech there is a question mark, or an exclamation mark, or an ellipsis, or a comma (the latter instead of a period), and after this sign there is a dash, for example:
“What about Kazbich?” – I asked the staff captain impatiently.
c) break direct speech into two parts; in this case put:
- Would you like to add some rum? – I told my interlocutor. – I have a white one from Tiflis; it's cold now.
“Let’s go, it’s cold,” Makarov said and asked gloomily: “Why are you silent?”
Note 2. The rules set out in this paragraph also apply to sentences containing quotes with indications of who they belong to.
Note 3. Internal monologue (“mental speech”), which takes the form of direct speech, is also enclosed in quotation marks.
§ 197. If several replicas appear on a line without indicating who they belong to, then each of them is highlighted with quotation marks and, in addition, separated from the adjacent one by a dash, for example:
- “Tell me, beauty,” I asked, “what were you doing on the roof today?” - “And I looked where the wind was blowing.” - “Why do you need it?” - “Where the wind comes from, happiness comes from there.” - “Well, did you really invite happiness with a song?” - “Where he sings, he is happy.”
Sentences with direct speech examples
2. If the author’s words come before direct speech, then a colon is placed after them, and the first word of direct speech is written with a capital letter: And Marco walks for days and nights in the forest above the Danube River, looking for everything, moaning everything: "Where is the fairy?" But the waves laugh: "We don't know". But he shouted to them: "You are lying! You play with her yourself!”(M.G.)
3. If direct speech comes before the author’s words, then a comma and a dash are placed after it; if direct speech contains a question or exclamation, then it is followed by a question mark, exclamation mark or an ellipsis and a dash. The author's words in all cases begin with a small letter:
Note. There are cases (rather rare) when direct speech breaks the words of the author. Then a colon is placed before direct speech (see paragraph 2), and after it - a comma (question or exclamation mark) and a dash (see paragraph 3), for example:
Note. If one part of the author’s words refers to the first half of direct speech, and the other to the second, then a colon and a dash are placed after the author’s words (signs are placed before the author’s words in accordance with the rules set out in paragraph 4, “b” and “c” ), For example:
5. When transmitting a dialogue, each replica usually (especially in print) begins on a new line, a dash is placed before the replica, and quotation marks are not used, for example:
And you, Maxim Maksimych, aren’t you coming?
Yes, I haven’t seen the commandant yet. (JI.)
Note. The dialogue can also be formatted differently: the lines are written in a row, in a selection, each of them is put in quotation marks and separated from the other by a dash, for example: You used to ask her: “What are you sighing about, Bela? Are you sad? - "No!" - “Do you want anything?” - "No!" - “Are you homesick for your family?” - “I have no relatives”. (L.)
Formatting quotes, examples. Rules for formatting direct speech and quotes
Quotes can decorate the text, confirming or revealing more widely the idea expressed by the author, therefore, they are probably willingly used both in journalism and in scientific works. But sometimes introducing a quotation into a text can cause difficulties in terms of punctuation.
In this article we will try to remember the rules for formatting quotes when in different ways including them in the text. Let us remember what punctuation marks need to be used in this case, as well as ways to highlight some words in the quoted passage.
What is a quotation: example
A quotation is a verbatim reproduction of what was said, while being inextricably linked in meaning to the text in which the passage is included.
Old age is, first of all, experience accumulated throughout life. As the great Faina Ranevskaya once said: “Memories are the wealth of old age.”
Combining several passages from different parts of the work in one quotation is not allowed. They should be formatted as different quotations. Mandatory requirement is also the presence of an indication of its source.
If the passage you quote does not begin at the beginning of the original sentence, then an ellipsis is placed there in the quotation. This sign is also placed in place of all missing words in the passage.
«… Clever man knows how to get out of a difficult situation, but a wise man never gets into it,” Ranevskaya emphasized. 
As the author or source of the quoted passage is indicated
In this article we will not talk about how a bibliographic footnote is formatted, but we will discuss the ways in which the author or source of what is cited is indicated. Good manners require you to do this every time you use someone else's thoughts.
“Incompetent people have a tendency to reach categorical and categorical conclusions” (David Dunning).
Please note that in this version there is no period after the quotation; it is placed only after the link! By the way, if the first word in brackets indicating the source is not a proper name, then it is written with a small letter.
“Incompetent people have a tendency to draw unambiguous and categorical conclusions” (from an article by psychologist David Dunning).
If the formatting of quotations in the text requires the name of the author or their source to be placed on another line, then they are written without parentheses or other punctuation marks. And after the quote itself there is a period or any necessary sign.
Incompetent people have a tendency to draw unambiguous and categorical conclusions.
The same rule applies to epigraphs. 
Highlights within quotes
If the passage cited as a quotation contains author’s emphases, they are preserved in the same form as in the original source. The design of citations does not require special emphasis on the fact that these marks belong to the author. In cases where the citing person wants to highlight something, he must make an appropriate footnote. To do this, indicate in brackets: “my italics” or “emphasized by me” - and put initials.
A. Startsev spoke about the writer O. Henry: “Endowed by nature with the rare gift of seeing the funny..., he encountered the tragic in life..., but in most cases I preferred to remain silent about it(my italics – I.I.).”
“The literary legend that unites their names (Gogol and Ostrovsky - I.I.) is significant. After all, Ostrovsky was initially perceived as a direct successor of Gogol’s work...” 
Ways in which quotations are put into context
Quotations can be introduced into a sentence as direct speech. In these cases, punctuation marks in Russian are placed in the same way as when highlighting direct speech.
I. Zakharov emphasizes: “Ranevskaya handed down cruel rulings to others that looked like court decisions. But she didn’t spare herself either.”
In cases where the quote must be separated by the words of the author, it looks like this:
“His Majesty remains completely confident,” wrote A.S. Pushkin A.Kh. Benckendorf, “that you will use your excellent abilities to pass on to posterity the glory of our Fatherland...”
If the quotation is an addition, or it is part of a subordinate clause complex sentence, then no characters except quotation marks are placed, and the quote itself begins with a small letter, even if in the source it was written with a capital letter:
At one time, the philosopher J. Locke said that “there is nothing in the intellect that is not in feeling.” 
Punctuation at the end of a quote
Separately, you need to consider the design of a quote in a letter in situations where it is necessary to decide on the punctuation marks at the end of it - before and after the quotation marks.
Katharine Hepburn exclaimed: “By obeying all the rules, you deprive yourself of many pleasures!”
- And in a situation where there are no signs before the quotation marks in the quotation, a period is placed at the end of the sentence, but only after them:
- If the quote is part subordinate clause, then a period should be placed after the quotation marks, even if there is already an exclamation mark, a question mark or an ellipsis before them:
Ranevskaya lamented: “85 years with diabetes is not sugar.”
Marlene Dietrich rightly believed that “tenderness is the best evidence love than the most passionate vows..." 
Is it lower case or capital letter at the beginning of a quotation?
If a quotation is placed after a colon, then you need to pay attention to what letter it began with in the original source. If it is with a lowercase letter, then the quote is written with a small letter, only an ellipsis is placed before the text:
Describing A.S. Pushkina, I.A. Goncharov emphasized: “...in the gestures accompanying his speech there was the restraint of a secular, well-bred man.”
If the quoted passage begins with capital letter, then the quotations are formatted in the same way as in direct speech - with a capital letter after the colon.
V. Lakshin wrote about A.N. Ostrovsky: “Many things continue to sound in these plays with living joy and pain, echoing in our soul.”
Some more nuances of noting quotes
How to indicate a quotation if you only need to quote one word or phrase? In such cases, the given word is enclosed in quotation marks and introduced into the sentence with a small letter:
V. Lakshin emphasized that the faces in Ostrovsky’s comedies are historically accurate and “ethnographically vivid.”
In situations where the original source of the quotation is not freely available (there is no translation into Russian or this is a rare publication), then when quoting you should indicate: “cit. By". 
Is it possible to change anything in the quoted passage?
Formatting quotations requires not only compliance with the rules of punctuation, but also a correct attitude towards the quoted text. On the part of the author of the article in which these passages are given, only a few deviations from their original state are allowed:
If the author needs to further express his attitude to the quoted passage or to some of its words, he, as a rule, places a question mark or exclamation mark enclosed in parentheses after them. 
Not only punctuation marks in Russian should serve to convey a quote
For an author writing a scientific or literary work, a quotation is a convincing and economical technique that allows you to present facts to the reader, generalize them and, of course, confirm your idea with reference to authoritative sources.
In non-scientific texts, quotation is often a means of emotional impact. But we must not forget that the passage quoted must be conveyed accurately. Indeed, even in the definition of the concept “quote” it is emphasized that this is a verbatim excerpt from a text. And from this it follows that not only the text itself, but also the punctuation marks that the author has, as well as the emphasis that he has, must be reproduced without distortion.
And this can equally be attributed to both official documents and emotional excerpts from fiction. Only by remembering this can you fully understand what a quote is. An example of respect for the quoted material is, first of all, respect for the author who wrote the lines you quote.
examples of direct speech sentence
Here are all the cases in which direct speech can be formatted:
1. A sentence that stands in direct speech and indicates to whom it belongs (“the words of the author”) can:
a) PRECEDE direct speech; in this case, a colon is placed after it, and after direct speech - a punctuation mark in accordance with the nature of direct speech, for example:
He turned away and, walking away, muttered: “Still, this is completely against the rules.”
Finally I told her: “Do you want to go for a walk on the rampart? »
She looked and screamed: “This is Kazbich! »
b) FOLLOW direct speech; in this case, after direct speech there is a question mark, or an exclamation mark, or an ellipsis, or a comma (the latter instead of a period), and after this sign there is a dash, for example:
“What about Kazbich? “I asked the staff captain impatiently.
“How boring it is! “- I exclaimed involuntarily.
“She died. “Aksinya echoed.
“There’s the district chieftain,” whispered Panteley Prokofievich, pushing Grigory from behind.
c) BREAK direct speech into two parts; in this case put:
before the words of the author there is a question mark, or an exclamation mark, or an ellipsis in accordance with the nature of the first part of direct speech, or a comma (if none of these signs is required), and after them - a dash;
after the author’s words - a period if the first part of direct speech is a complete sentence, and a comma if it is unfinished, followed by a dash; if direct speech is highlighted with quotation marks, then they are placed only before the beginning of direct speech and at the very end of it, for example:
“Would you like to add some rum? – I told my interlocutor. – I have a white one from Tiflis; It's cold now."
“Well, that’s enough, that’s enough! - said Pechorin, hugging him friendly. - Am I not the same? »
"Listen to me.. . - Nadya said, “someday to the end.”
“My name is Foma,” he answered, “and my nickname is Biryuk.”
(If direct speech begins with a paragraph, then a dash is placed before the beginning, for example:
The little girl ran and shouted:
-Have you seen your mother?
If the author’s words contain two verbs with the meaning of a statement, one of which refers to the first part of direct speech, and the other to the second, then after the author’s words a colon and a dash are placed, for example:
“Let’s go, it’s cold,” Makarov said and asked gloomily:
- Why are you keeping silent?)
Direct speech
We always write words of direct speech with a capital letter. The author's words are always small, except at the beginning of the sentence.
Legend - A - the author’s words, P - direct speech.
The author's words inside direct speech
If direct speech, consisting of one sentence, is divided into two parts by the author’s words, then before and after the author’s words we put a comma and a hyphen (,-)
Examples: “What are you preparing for? - Mom asked. “Tomorrow is a day off.”
The quotation is enclosed in quotation marks and written with a small letter.
Examples: According to Pushkin, “Habit has been given to us from above, it is a substitute for happiness.”
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Naturally, a person who does not make mistakes when writing attracts his interlocutor a hundred times better, he captivates with his literacy. The desire to become such a person is, of course, commendable, but when communicating in Russian, sometimes such comical situations arise when you can get confused in the rules, this is due to the very complexity of the Russian language, its versatility. The design of other people's remarks and other people's statements is also suitable for these very situations. They can be conveyed using direct speech or indirect speech. If with the second option everything is extremely simple and clear (the design is done as complex sentence with a subordinate explanatory clause), then when writing direct speech it is not so easy to correctly place quotation marks, colons, periods and commas in their places. Much depends on the location of the author’s text and direct speech. Let's figure it out, consider all the nuances in more detail and clearly.
If direct speech follows after the words of the author, then according to the rules of the Russian language, put a colon, then open quotation marks and start writing the expression itself with a capital letter. It's important to note that exclamation marks, question marks, and periods at the end of a sentence are formed differently. If the sentence is of a narrative nature, then a period is placed after the quotation marks, but in cases with interrogative and exclamatory sentences- signs are placed before the concluding quotation marks.
Alexey said: “I’m leaving at five o’clock this morning.”
He asked: “Why aren’t you at school?”
He exclaimed: “What terribly cold water!”
It’s another matter when the author’s words come after direct speech. But here everything is quite clear. We open the quotation marks, write direct speech with a capital letter, close the quotation marks, then the words of the author come with a lowercase letter. “But what is the punctuation mark between direct speech and the words of the author?” - you ask. The answer is to put a dash between them. The design of quotation marks occurs by analogy with the first case described in this text.
“I’ll be back at ten in the evening,” said Andrey.
"Do not you know?" - he asked.
“Get out of here now!” - he exclaimed.
It also happens that direct speech is interrupted by the author’s word. How to arrange this? For ease of understanding, I suggest using diagrams, which I will later also supplement with examples. The symbols will be as follows: “PR” - direct speech, “A” - the words of the author.
“PR, - A, - PR.”
Did you notice that there was a comma, rather than a period, after the author’s words? As an example: “Go away,” the girl said, “you’ve made me angry.”
“PR!(?) - A. - PR.”
For example: “Don’t you think, my friend, that everything around you looks amazing today? – Nadya asked kindly. “I am truly fascinated by this mystical beauty.” Here we can notice that exclamatory and motivating sentences are formed a little differently; the broken direct speech is resumed after the words of the author with a capital letter.
It also happens that direct speech is “embedded” in the middle of the author’s words, that is, the author’s words are broken by direct speech. Here we place punctuation marks according to the following schemes:
A: “PR,” A.
Let's look at an example for clarity:
He sarcastically remarked: “The ceiling is crooked,” and immediately looked away in the other direction.
A: “PR!(?)” - A.
And here is an example:
I heard a cry from afar: “Where are you?” - and we immediately went to meet our comrade.
A: “PR...” - A.
The sailor said with annoyance: “Sick of the sea...” and began to look at his uniform. Unlike exclamation and question marks, the placement of marks with an ellipsis is similar to the placement of quotation marks with a period.
As for the issue of dialogue design, there are two options.
First way:
It is possible to write all the phrases in one line, but the absence of the author’s words must be observed. All remarks are written on one line, without the author’s words between them. Statements must be enclosed in quotation marks and separated by a dash.
Let's look at an example:
Quiet night. In the middle of the countryside, two people walked holding hands. The girl asked: “How did you manage to do this?” - “Let this remain a secret.” - “What a secretive person you are!” - “I’ll take it as a compliment.”
Second way:
Each new line is a new replica, there are no quotation marks, but there is a dash at the beginning of the sentence.
- Where are you going?
- Wherever your eyes look.
Quote formatting
- The quotation is written depending on the format of direct speech.
- Part of the quotation is skipped and replaced with an ellipsis due to its capacity.
- The quotation includes the author's text or part of it, and in this case it should be enclosed in quotation marks.
- Quoting poems occurs in compliance with stanzas and lines, but without enclosing quotation marks.
G. Heine believed: “The Romans would hardly have studied grammar; they would not have conquered half the world.”
At one time, V. Ivanov ironically remarked: “It seems to me that a night device should be bought before the end of the world.”
According to A. Belyakov, Beethoven’s work was permeated with “that same “revolutionary heroism.”
When transmitted in writing, it requires special punctuation. It depends on the position of direct speech and the author’s words relative to each other.
The following cases are possible:
“It’s good that you came,” said the neighbor.
"I'm so glad to see you!" - said the neighbor.
“Will you come by tomorrow?” - asked the neighbor.
The neighbor said: “It’s good that you came in.”
The neighbor said: “I’m so glad to see you!”
The neighbor asked: “Will you come by tomorrow?”
Scheme:
r.a.: “P.r.”
r.a.: “P.r.!”
r.a.: “P.r.?”
“It’s good,” said the neighbor, “that you came in.”
“Olenka! - said the neighbor. - I'm so glad to see you!"
“Olenka,” the neighbor asked, “will you come in tomorrow?”
Scheme:
“P.r., - r.a., - p.r.”
"Etc.! - r.a. - Etc.!"
“P.r., - r.a., - p.r.?”
Note:
If the first part of direct speech ends with a period, question mark or exclamation mark, then the second part of direct speech begins with a capital letter.
If the first part of direct speech ends with a comma, semicolon, dash, colon, ellipsis, i.e. if the sentence is not complete, then the second part begins with a lowercase (small) letter.
For example:
“Paris is the capital of France,” he corrected his younger sister. “And not Italy.”
“Paris,” he corrected his younger sister, “is the capital of France, not Italy.”
He immediately corrected his younger sister: “Paris is the capital of France, not Italy” - and left the room so as not to interfere with the girls’ communication.
Having said: “Goodbye!”, he left the room so as not to interfere with the girls’ communication.
§2. Punctuation of dialogue
Dialogues and polylogues (conversation between several persons) in fiction, journalism, or rather, in printed publications are formatted without using quotation marks.
A dash is placed at the beginning of dialogue lines, for example:
“The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but nothing really could be heard. The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat in her arms and asked:
Please, explain what is happening here? Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement, and why are the city gates closed?
- The guards are not letting people out of the city...
- Why aren’t they released?
- So that they do not help those who have already left the city...
The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared."
(Yu. Olesha, Three fat men)
Individual lines can also be styled with dashes:
“When he came to his senses, it was already evening. The doctor looked around:
- What a shame! The glasses, of course, broke. When I look without glasses, I probably see as a non-nearsighted person sees if he wears glasses. It's very unpleasant."
(Yu. Olesha, Three Fat Men)
Note:
If direct speech is combined with the speech of the author, then they can be used different schemes placement of punctuation marks. Punctuation will vary depending on the relationship between direct speech and the author's speech. But quotes are not needed. Direct speech is separated with a dash.
1) R.a.: - P.r. For example:
Then he grumbled about the broken heels:
“I’m already short in stature, and now I’ll be an inch shorter.” Or maybe two inches, because two heels broke off? No, of course, only one inch... (Yu. Olesha, Three Fat Men)
2) - P.r., - r.a. For example:
- Guard! - the seller shouted, not hoping for anything and kicking his legs (Yu. Olesha, Three Fat Men).
3) R.a.: - P.r.! - r.a. For example:
And suddenly the guardsman with a broken nose said:
- Stop! - and raised the torch high (Y. Olesha, Three Fat Men).
4) -P.r., - r.a. - Etc. For example:
- Stop screaming! - he got angry. - Is it possible to scream so loudly! (Yu. Olesha, Three fat men)
That is, the logic of the design of direct speech and the author’s speech is preserved, but quotation marks are not used. Instead, a dash is always placed at the beginning of direct speech.
In contact with
In Russian, in order to convey someone’s words in a text, a syntactic structure such as direct speech is used. The diagrams (there are four of them) clearly display which signs are placed and where. To understand this, you need to understand the abbreviations indicated in them.
Difference between direct speech and indirect speech
You can report someone’s statements either on behalf of the person who pronounces them (this is direct speech), or from a third person, and then it will be indirect. In the article we will consider the first option in more detail. The patterns of direct and indirect speech are different, since they are designed and sounded differently in the text, for example:
- “I’ll be home from work late today,” my mother said.. reflects what the mother said, conveying information from her personally. In this case, the scheme of direct speech is divided into the one who speaks and the content itself.
- Mom said it would be late from work today. In this version, the words are not conveyed on behalf of the speaker. IN in writing indirect speech is in which the author's words come first and are its main part.
There are 4 schemes for transmitting direct speech, in which the following notations are used:
- P - indicates the capital letter with which direct speech begins.
- p - means starting speech with a small letter.
- A is the author's words starting with a capital letter.
- a is a lowercase letter.
Depending on what notations are used and where they appear in the diagram, a sentence can be constructed. Which will correspond to it or, conversely, the existing text will allow you to paint it schematically.
Direct speech at the beginning of the text
Schemes of direct speech, in which it precedes the words of the author, look like this:
- "P", - a.
- "P?" - A.
- "P!" - A.
If the author’s words are preceded by direct speech, the rules (the diagram shows this) require enclosing it in quotation marks, and placing a punctuation mark between them that corresponds to the emotional connotation of the statement. If it is narrative, then the parts are separated by a comma. When there is an interrogative or exclamatory emotion in speech, signs are placed that convey the given stylistic coloring of the sentence. For example:
- “We’re going to the sea in the summer,” said the girl.
- “Are we going to the sea in the summer?” - asked the girl.
- “We’re going to the sea in the summer!” - the girl shouted joyfully.
In these examples, the same content of direct speech is conveyed with different emotional connotations. The author's words also change according to these changes.
The author's words at the beginning of the speech
Direct speech patterns (with examples below), in which the author's words begin a syntactic construction, are used when it is important to indicate the speaker. They look like this:
- A: "P".
- A: “P?”
- A: “P!”
The diagrams show that the words of the author that begin with a capital letter, since they are at the beginning of the sentence, must be followed by a colon. Direct speech on both sides is covered by quotation marks and begins with a capital letter, as an independent syntactic construction. At the end there is a text corresponding to the emotional content of the text. For example:
- The boy came up and said in a quiet voice: “I need to go home to my sick mother.” In this example, direct speech is located after the words of the author and has a neutral coloring, so there is a period at the end.
- A cry of indignation escaped her lips: “How can you not notice this injustice!” The sentence has an emotionally expressive tone, conveying strong indignation. Therefore, direct speech, which stands behind the author’s words and is placed in quotation marks, ends with an exclamation mark.
- The girl looked at him in surprise: “Why don’t you want to go camping with us?” Although the author’s words indicate such an emotion as surprise, direct speech sounds in the form of a question, so at the end there is
It is important to remember: direct speech behind the author’s words is always written with a capital letter and separated from them by a colon.
Third scheme
- "P, - a, - p."
- “P, - a. - P".
The diagrams show that direct speech is divided into 2 parts by the words of the author. The punctuation in these sentences is such that they are always separated from direct speech on both sides by hyphens. If a comma is placed after the author’s words, the continuation of direct speech is written with a small letter, and if there is a period, then it begins as a new sentence with a capital letter. For example:
- “I’ll pick you up tomorrow,” Yegor said, getting into the car, “don’t oversleep.”
- “Mom arrives early in the morning,” dad reminded. “You need to order a taxi in advance.”
- "What are you doing here? - asked Maria. “Shouldn’t you be at the lecture?”
- “How stubborn you are! - Sveta exclaimed. “I don’t want to see you again!”
Important: although in the last two examples the initial part of direct speech ends not with a comma, but with question marks and exclamation marks, the author’s words are written with a small letter.
Direct speech between the author's words
The fourth diagram of direct speech explains what signs are placed when it stands between the words of the author.
- A: “P” - a.
- A: “P?” - A.
- A: “P!” - A.
For example:
- The announcer said, “Today on the news,” and for some reason he faltered.
- An echo came from afar: “Where are you?” - and it became quiet again.
- The brother rudely replied: “It’s none of your business!” - and quickly walked out the door.
You cannot limit yourself only to the schemes listed above, since direct speech can consist of any number of sentences, for example:
“How good! - Grandma exclaimed, “I thought we’d never get home.” I'm dead tired". Scheme of this syntactic construction as follows:
"P! - a, - p. P.”
The Russian language is very expressive and there is more in writing than fits into 4 classical schemes. Knowing the basic concepts of direct speech and punctuation marks in it, you can compose a sentence of any complexity.