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Use an em dash (the longer dash symbol) to indicate an interruption or an abrupt change in thought or to insert supplemental information. If the interruption or insertion comes in the middle of a sentence, add a closing dash to signal the end of the interruption.
To show an interruption of the spoken words, include an em dash inside the quotation marks, at the point where the dialogue is interrupted.
While legal writers should use em-dashes to draw attention and to help create meaning, writers should be careful not to overuse them. Overuse causes em-dashes to lose their dramatic visual impact. Think of em-dashes like the salt on the top of a salted caramel.
An interrupting phrase is a word group (a statement, question, or exclamation) that interrupts the flow of a sentence and is usually set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses. An interrupting phrase is also called an interrupter, an insertion, or a mid-sentence interruption.
An ellipsis is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .) inserted into a quotation to indicate the omission of material from the original quotation. … Failure to use the proper form of an ellipsis could misrepresent the work of another person and result in legal liability for the writer.
As with all formatting advice, the idea is to clearly express your vision without interrupting the flow of the screenplay. One easy way to show one character interrupting another is to use double-dashes or an ellipsis to indicate the first character’s dialogue is being interrupted.
If you need to create a pause (a purposeful one, not an ‘erm’), consider using an en-dash instead of an ellipsis. It feels much more confident, especially when you need to link related parts of a sentence – like this. An ellipsis at the end of a sentence implies that the writer has trailed off.
Do not use quotation marks around terms of art. A term of art is a phrase that has become so well accepted and pervasive in a particular field that it is no longer considered proprietary to its original author. These terms also have meanings well known to everyone who practices in the fields in which they are used.
The definition of an interruption is something that causes a stop in action. An example of an interruption is a person bothering someone who is working hard.
Creating Ellipses
First, you should know that the proper way to make an ellipses is with three period marks, with a space in between each mark. You also leave a space at the beginning and end of the ellipses. Think of it as treating the ellipses as a word that requires a space both before and after it.
Use an ellipsis when omitting a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage. Ellipses save space or remove material that is less relevant. They are useful in getting right to the point without delay or distraction: Full quotation: “Today, after hours of careful thought, we vetoed the bill.”
The two main purposes of ellipses in text are: indicating an omission within a piece of text. showing a pause in a character’s dialogue (or “trailing off” at the end of dialogue)
The main things to remember are: Use an em dash if the speaker stops mid-word, in the same way as you’d use a hyphen. Put it inside the closing quotation marks. Use an em dash if the speaker’s able to complete a word, but someone or something stops them before they finish their thought.
“Don’t you say another word!” Two dashes make what’s called an em-dash, and your word processing program will likely transform this into an em-dash on your behalf when you type it to interrupt dialogue. This is really the only way to format an interruption in dialogue, and you should let the formatting work for you.
In law we have many familiar expressions and phrases that technically require hyphens but that will not confuse if left unhyphenated. For example, all these would take hyphens: summary-judgment motion, good-faith effort, reasonable-person standard.
Effect: As opposed to parentheses or commas, dashes create emphasis and give the impression that the added information is important, surprising, or abrupt. CAUTION: Dashes can also connect related clauses or ideas. However, when used to connect clauses, dashes can be too vague and informal for legal writing.
It’s recommended you not take down any load-bearing walls when renovating. Look at the following examples of sentences featuring compound modifiers connected by hyphens: This rock-hard cake is absolutely impossible to eat. The quick-witted boy had everyone on the bus laughing.
This elusive punctuation mark is used at the end of a sentence, often in dialogue, when it follows a grammatically complete sentence. It usually indicates that you’re omitting a sentence and skipping to the next.
Those three little dots are called an ellipsis (plural: ellipses). The term ellipsis comes from the Greek word meaning “omission,” and that’s just what an ellipsis does—it shows that something has been left out. … You can also use an ellipsis to show a pause in speech or that a sentence trails off.
Tell me what you know.” In other words, paraphrase. Paraphrasing is often a better option than quoting in legal writing. Paraphrasing is incorporating someone else’s idea — including legal precedent — into your own writing by describing the idea and citing its source. But in describing the idea, you use your own words.
Below are some examples of what you can say: “If you don’t mind letting me finish, then I’d love to hear what you have to say.” “Please allow me to finish.” “I’m sure you didn’t mean it, but you just interrupted me, which makes me feel as though you don’t want to hear what I have to say.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAGLxkrsUxM