Thread: Dialogue Spacing

I run in to this problem a lot when I write. I like to paragraph break whenever a person finishes talking, but sometimes the following sentence is only a line or two long before that person continues talking. Would I paragraph break like this:


"The dog likes tennis balls."

She sounded irritated by the fact, but continued without pause.

"He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."


or would it be:


"The dog likes tennis balls." She sounded irritated by the fact, but continued without pause. "He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."





I've taken plenty of grammar courses, but no one seems to address this as much as you would think. Which way should it be?

I personally keep it all one paragraph as long as the actions match the person who is talking.

I use the second way you use in your example. Start a new paragraph when somebody else starts talking. If somebody is speaking for a long time, then it will probably be necessary to break that person's speech into different paragraphs, as you might with narrative.

What if it was like:

"The dog likes tennis balls." Her friend didn't seem pleased by the statement. "He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."

That's still okay, I think. Not totally sure, but I'd say so.

I generally keep it all in one deal when there's dialogue, then explanation of the character's actions in relation to the dialogue, then more dialogue from the same character. I think of it as all one action, and if you want it to be perceived as such then to me it makes sense to keep it all together. Whether that's 'grammatically correct' I don't know... or really care, I do it anyway. Whatever flows for you I guess.

Originally Posted by Demonic_Angel

What if it was like:

"The dog likes tennis balls." Her friend didn't seem pleased by the statement. "He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."

If its someone else saying the next piece of dialogue go to a new paragraph. This version might be confusing, her friend seems to indicate someone else is speaking.

Originally Posted by Demonic_Angel

I've taken plenty of grammar courses, but no one seems to address this as much as you would think. Which way should it be?

How's it done in the books you've read?

You only NEED to have a new paragraph if a new person is speaking. However, one person might be talking long enough to have several paragraphs. If that's the case, the accepted method of dealing with it is a new opening quotation mark for the new paragraph, but not a closing one in the previous paragraph.

For example:

He said, "blah blah blah blah.
"Also, blah blah blah.
"Finally, blah blah blah blah blah."

You also have a stylistic issue with your first example that, while it's not technically WRONG, isn't especially good, either. Any time you have words in between dialogue, there's an implicit pause in the reader's mind. Saying, "the person continued without pause" doesn't really get that fact across, because as you read it, there is very definitely a break in the dialogue. Again, it's not a hard and fast rule, but it's certainly something to keep in mind.

I've tried lately not to do that as much, but then I come up with this other problem. What if someone says something and then something else happens, and then someone else starts talking? Should I leave the description of the event in the same paragraph as the first persons' dialogue or should I make it a new paragraph and then make a third paragraph for the second persons' dialogue?


“You can’t make me come with you.” (person one)

This time his brother’s laugh was closer to a manipulative giggle. (event)

“Sure I can. Watch me.” (person two)


Should that really be three paragraphs?

Originally Posted by Demonic_Angel

I've tried lately not to do that as much, but then I come up with this other problem. What if someone says something and then something else happens, and then someone else starts talking? Should I leave the description of the event in the same paragraph as the first persons' dialogue or should I make it a new paragraph and then make a third paragraph for the second persons' dialogue?


“You can’t make me come with you.” (person one)

This time his brother’s laugh was closer to a manipulative giggle. (event)

“Sure I can. Watch me.” (person two)


Should that really be three paragraphs?

The event should be part of the same paragraph which includes the second speaker's dialogue.

"You can't make me come with you."

This time his brother's laugh was more of a manipulative giggle, "Sure I can. Watch me."

Hmmm interesting...

I agree with Terry, though I would put a period after "giggle" (instead of the comma he suggested).

This time his brother's laugh was more of a manipulative giggle, "Sure I can. Watch me."

I think that Terry is the first one to add the comma before the quote. In grade school I was taught to use the comma as shown above.

Originally Posted by Terry D

The event should be part of the same paragraph which includes the second speaker's dialogue.

"You can't make me come with you."

This time his brother's laugh was more of a manipulative giggle, "Sure I can. Watch me."

That assumes that (person 2) and his brother are the same character.

"The dog likes tennis balls."

She sounded irritated by the fact, but continued without pause.

"He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."


or would it be:


"The dog likes tennis balls." She sounded irritated by the fact, but continued without pause. "He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."

The second is the better format, but poor writing - you've created a pause to say there wasn't one.

"The dog likes tennis balls." Her friend didn't seem pleased by the statement. "He always rips them to pieces all over the carpet."

Unless it was her friend doing the talking, this is wrong. Shifting the reader's focus from speaker to listener and back again in this manner needs at least two narrative clauses; three if it's not clear at the first who is speaking.