Internal Dialogue: Italics or Quotes?
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 as if the character had spoken aloud.
You may also use italics without quotation marks for direct internal dialogue.
Example: I lied, Charles thought, but maybe she will forgive me.
Indirect internal dialogue refers to a character expressing a thought in third person and is not set off with either italics or quotation marks.
Example: Bev wondered why Charles would think that she would forgive him so easily.
The words she would tell us that she did not think these exact words.
Posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008, at 4:47 am
26 Responses to “Internal Dialogue: Italics or Quotes?”
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what if you are telling the story and its past tense but then the internal dialoge becomes present tense of what you thought at that time? do you make a new paragragh everytime you use ihte internal dialoge as well?
Yes, dialogue will become present tense. No, you do not need to make a new paragraph when using internal dialogue.
What if I’m using italics but not using a proper pronoun (with no obvious capitalization), and my thought ends in punctuation other than a comma? Do I leave the pronoun lowercased, as I would if it were in quotes? Or do I capitalize it?
For example, which would be correct (picture the thoughts in italics, if the HTML doesn’t process):
What is that? she thought.
or
What is that? She thought.
I can’t seem to find this type of example anywhere, and I’ve run into it several times with my historical fiction novel I’m writing! Thanks for your help!
You would leave the pronoun lowercased. What is that? she thought.
What about POV. In first person you would do neither, correct.
Ex: I can’t believe he said that. What am I going to do now?
In the example you gave, you would not use italics or quotes. Other examples, also in a first person point-of-view, could use punctuation.
“I can’t believe he said that,” I thought. “What am I going to do now?”
I can’t believe he said that, I thought. What am I going to do now?
I will concede either/or only insomuch that it may apply differently between MLA and novelization, but italics are still the acceptable form moreso than quotation marks, yes?
There seems to be quite a difference of opinion on this subject. According to The Chicago Manual of Style (13.41), “Thought, imagined dialogue, and other interior discourse may be enclosed in quotation marks or not, according to the context or the writer’s preference.” They do not even mention the use of italics. Also, AP Stylebook says, “So, is an unspoken thought always worthy of quotation marks? Writer’s choice on that.” I would not say that either one is more acceptable than the other.
So what if you’re writing from a 1st person POV. How do you distinguish between internal dialogue and simply giving an opinion.
For instance:
I looked around this scene and thought that everyone was caught in a suspended reality…
vs.
I thought “how creepy”
vs
My room was bare. I had always wondered what they said about me. Did I lack essence?
How do I format each?
In your first sentence, the word that indicates that it is not actual internal dialogue. I looked around this scene and thought that everyone was caught in a suspended reality…
If it was actual internal dialogue, the sentence would be written like this:
I looked around this scene and thought, “everyone was caught in a suspended reality…” OR
I looked around this scene and thought, everyone was caught in a suspended reality…
Your second and third sentences are both examples of internal dialogue since they are the exact thoughts of the character.
I thought, “how creepy.” OR I thought how creepy.
“My room was bare,” I thought. “I had always wondered what they said about me. Did I lack essence?” OR
My room was bare I thought. I had always wondered what they said about me. Did I lack essence?
If they were not internal dialogue they would be written like this:
I thought that it was creepy.
I thought that my room was bare. I had always wondered what they said about me. Did I lack essence?
Thank you very much Jane.
So just to drive the point home. As an author, I find myself unsure of the proper format when I write from a first person POV because I am developing a character who is omniscient while also having the first person POV. So while third person Omniscient POV is common, the first person POV isn’t…as far I know. While I don’t mind breaking the rules (if it’s uncommon), I want to make sure that I format the text properly so that I may guide the reader as logically as possible.
As such, If I take myself to be the first person, then, every statement is technically my thought. As such, I created rules to differentiate between my thoughts, my dialogue and my description of what I am calling objects (So non-thinking entities in the story (eg. anything from a table, a room, an action,etc…).
The issue presents itself when a table is described as “a beautiful table which perfectly complemented the room for instance.” This is technically my opinion and also an observation. I am unsure how to proceed there.
Any ideas or existing rules that I can follow.
As an author it is up to you whether to choose quotation marks or italics for internal dialogue. Whether it’s first or third person just make sure you only use them when it is the individual’s exact words or thoughts. Overuse of quotation marks or italics can be distracting to the reader. I recommend that you try not to overthink the situation. If you have a writing instructor, perhaps he or she can provide some guidance and feedback if you are having concerns.
I can’t find the rule for punctuation after the word ‘said’. Can you give me the rule, if there is one. Thanks
The word said can appear in either an indirect or direct quotation. An indirect quotation is a paraphrase of someone else’s words and does not require any punctuation. An example of this is She said that she would be available to start work next week. In a direct quotation the word said is followed by a comma as in the following sentence: At the end of the ceremony she said, “Congratulations!” If the word said is the last word in a sentence, it could also be followed by a period, exclamation point, or a question mark. For example: We could not hear what she said. Did you hear what she said? We did not hear what you said!
Rule 16
Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotations shorter than three lines.
Examples:
He actually said, “I do not care.”
“Why,” I asked, “do you always forget to do it?”
I found the above examples on the COMMAS page
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asphttp://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp
Note: The quotation marks to open and the quotation marks to close appear to be facing in the same direction.
Throughout our website, we have used “straight” quotation marks, i.e., in normal typeface they are vertical (just like the quotation marks in this sentence). The quotation marks you have pointed out are in a passage that is in italic type, therefore, the quotation marks are at the same slant as the italic type, e.g., “straight.” According to Wikipedia, “straight” or “ambidextrous” quotation marks were introduced on typewriters to reduce the number of keys on the keyboard, and were inherited by computer keyboards and character sets.”
Since the hard copy of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation also contains only straight quotation marks, we would like to stay consistent on the website. However, when we proceed to print the next edition, I will be looking into converting to the more formal opening and closing quotation marks, also known as “typographic” or “curly” quotation marks.
How do I create italicized emphasis with sentences/phrases within an entire paragraph that is already italicized because it is first person dialogue.
For example:
I was walking by the bar when an attractive gray-haired man said, “Hey, young lady, don’t I know you?” This old man is hitting on me, I thought.
This paragraph is italicized for dialogue; how to I emphacize/punctuate the thought: He’s hitting on me, do I italicize or not?
The entire paragraph should not be italicized, only the exact thoughts of the person.
I was walking by the bar when an attractive gray-haired man said, “Hey, young lady, don’t I know you?” This old man is hitting on me, I thought.
This is precisely the sort of thing I’d like to use to bring a greater sense of immediacy to that moment. I’d like to have some rule to judge by in choosing which would be internal narrative and which internal thought. Do you have any opinion on the matter?
Sorry, but I have no advice other than my response to Nancy of June 8, 2012. You may be able to obtain more specific guidance by consulting a reference book on writing fiction and dialogue or by taking a creative writing course at a local college.
I am REALLY struggling with point of view and internal dialogue. Could you recommend something to help me master it?
I feel like I can’t move forward because I get so confused when I start to write.
I recommend taking a course in creative writing. Many community colleges offer both credit and non-credit classes in writing.
Can you please take a look at the italicized internal dialogue and capitalization here? I italicized: hi, Lena. Over here, Lena.
I watch as Jae toddles from one kid to another. He gives each one a hug around the knees. I stand in the doorway. I wait for someone to say, hi, Lena. Over here, Lena.
I feel small.
The first word in your internal dialoge should be capitalized.
I watch as Jae toddles from one kid to another. He gives each one a hug around the knees. I stand in the doorway. I wait for someone to say, Hi, Lena. Over here, Lena.I feel small.
How do i type in italics? Im a little new to the whole “Typing” thing.
In many programs, such as Microsoft Word, there should be a slanted I at the top of the page. Click the symbol and the letters will be italicized. Click the symbol again to return to normal type. If you are using a different program and you do not see the slanted I for italics, you can click “Help” or perform an internet search.