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Archive for June, 2008

Exclamation Points with Quotation Marks

Thursday, June 19, 2008

How do you punctuate if something in quotes ends in a necessary exclamation point or question mark but the sentence continues?
The Chicago Manual of Style offers this example:
Tichnick’s angry reply, “I do not know the man!” took us all by surprise.
Note the comma after reply but no comma after the exclamation point.

Compel vs. Impel

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Both compel and impel contain the idea of using physical or other force to cause something to be done.
Compel means to constrain someone in some way to yield or do what one wishes.
Example: to compel a debtor to pay
Example: Fate compels us to face danger and trouble.
Impel means to provide a strong motive or incentive [...]

Ring vs. Rang vs. Rung

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

You can tell when to use ring, rang, or rung by whether you need the present, past, or past participle (used with has or have) form.
Present: ring
Example: I always ring the bell after I knock.
Example: He rings twice before entering.

Past: rang

Example: I rang the bell after I knocked.
Example: He rang twice before entering.
Past Participle: has [...]

Internal Dialogue: Italics or Quotes?

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Internal dialogue is used by authors to indicate what a character is thinking to himself/herself.
Direct internal dialogue refers to a character thinking the exact thoughts as written, often in the first person (I).
Example: “I lied,” Charles thought, “but maybe she will forgive me.”
Notice that quotation marks and other punctuation are used in the same way [...]