What are the rules of punctuation when writing dialogue? Particularly ellipses, hyphens, dashes & positions of quotation marks in relation to periods.

Answer 1

There are several different style guides (APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.), so you can get many different answers to this question. The most important thing is, no matter which you pick, be consistent. Here are some general suggestions:

Ellipses go wherever you ellide words or when speech trails off. I recommend using three dots except when a period is implied, in which case four dots is better.

Hyphens are not used for syntax; they are used to spell words. You can use them for compound words, breaking words at the ends of lines, etc.

Dashes are used for syntax. They are typically used in pairs to surround parenthetical expressions. A dash at the end of a quotation can also be used to indicate suddenly interrupted speech. Some authors (such as James Joyce) use them to set off quotations instead of quotation marks, but that is non-standard.

The location of periods relative to quotation marks is a matter of some dispute. Generally, the American practice is to place periods inside quotation marks, will the British practice is to place them outside. However, there are exceptions. For example, if a long quotation contains several sentences, then even Britons will typically place the final period inside the closing quotation marks.