Hi all. I have a quick question about dialogue. So the way I understand it if someone is cut off you use a dash but somewhat sparingly. What if a character cuts themselves off? For example word choice to avoid revealing a secret. "I've known he was alive for a couple mont - days. I was shocked too!" How would I format this? Thanks!
You could still use the dash, but you wouldn't have a space between the last letter of the word and the dash. And, I believe you'd use an em dash. The dash connected to the word is what signals that it's not a typo. If I saw it unconnected in a novel, I'd assume it was a mistake rather than a deliberate choice. "...a couple mont-- days..."
Using the dash is a good idea still. Some things to keep in mind is how you want people to read it. If you want there to be a pause, ellipsis can be... more useful. If you want it to be subtle, go with the dash. It also matters what is after/before the dialogue for clarity. "I've known he was alive for a couple mont- days. I was shocked too!" I caught my slip of the truth, hoping that others did not hear. You generally want either a large or small portion of the word. Remember to speak the sentence aloud. Is there a pause when you try to correct yourself? In this case of this sentence I would personally go with: "I've known he was alive for a couple mont... days," I said, trying to play off my accidental reveal. "I was shocked too!" Or something like that. I feel like month and days is a hard vocal transition and there would be stronger jarring than when I read with a dash. Hope this helps!
Ellipsis signals to the reader that a speaker trailed off, rather than abruptly stopped. When someone almost accidentally says something, then catches themselves, it's abrupt, therefore warranting an em dash. Ellipsis, in this case, seems to make the wrong indication to the reader. EDIT: I think there's some difference in opinion on what an em dash does versus an ellipse. To me, an em dash is much more abrupt than ellipsis. Maybe this is one of those things that just depends on the reader, but I think everyone agrees that the punctuation needs to fit the level of abrupt cutoff in the sentence.
I will agree with the trailing off. When I try to say a most of a word and catch myself, knowing I'm not supposed to say that word, I trail off for a moment before coming up with the other word. The way your character thinks/talks can play into it as well.
I guess because the OP said "character cuts himself off" I was picturing an abrupt end to the word rather than a trail off. But I could be wrong.
I don't think I'm mentally quick enough to abruptly stop speaking personally. Unless an outside force jars my train of thought. lol.
You need a long dash without a space after the word. Some people don't put a space before the next word, either, but I don't like that. You'd need to format it like this: "I've known he was alive for a couple mon— days." I have a shortcut that converts -- into —. It's handy. I wouldn't use dots in this situation, since I'm assuming the interruption is more abrupt.
In screen writing, an ellipses is used when characters cut each other off. The em dash is a good choice when a character cut him--herself off. Peace, Tex For example: Lee started to explain, “It’s dark, it’s often isolated, people have regular schedules that include parking in the same spot several times a week. Freud might have said that it’s dark and dream-like…” “Okay professor, let’s look at the body.”
Thank you for all of the responses. This is definitely helpful. I have a hard time with dialogue. I'm trying to improve it. One of the hardest parts is making it sound realistic and showing what the character is doing rather than standing in a white room talking back and forth. I listen to how people speak and that helps actually.
