Just Another Question

[rosalinda-143.livejournal.com]

It's hard to word it into a question, so I have to give you an example.

By the way as a disclaimer these excerpts are taken from All Hallows' Eve by Vivian Vande Velde because I'm not creative enough (right now) to come up with my own examples.

"Okay, now, arms and legs inside the wagon; we don't want any injuries"--the "okay" being his signal he had heard her and was on his way [...].

That was how she wrote it in the book, but I've seen it where the em dash is on the inside of the dialogue. So my question is, which is correct. Outside or inside?

Thanks in advanced to anyone who answers my question! I really appreciate you being so patient with all my questions and answering them as well!

peace.love.happiness.

~ J

Comments

[mari-mac1109.livejournal.com]

A dash inside the quotation marks usually indicates that the speaker has been cut off some how or something has occurred that prevents the speaker from finishing his or her sentence. A few examples: someone interrupts verbally, someone interrupts physically (covers the speaker's mouth, physical violence, a kiss), something happens outside of the conversation to distract the speaker (a car accident, some kind of violence or an explosion), etc.


In the case you posted, the dash is being used to indicate an aside. It's the storyteller commenting on the dialogue to inform the reader of something.

So, technically, they're both correct! It just depends on what you're trying to achieve.

Hope that helps!

[rogerdr.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It's a break, so your question should be while writing whether the break occurs to the speaker or is injected by the narrator/commentator.