Grammatical question plznthx

[orionsroad]

Okay!! This has been driving me nuts. I keep thinking it's one way, and then changing my mind. So, another question, for those in the grammatical know:

When you split up speech with description, what are the punctuation rules?

For example, the line:

"No," he shook his head tiredly. "It wasn't meant to be like this." Is 'he' meant to be

Comments

[blurmeese]

Mm imho I think it's up to your own style of writing to determine whether you want to put a comma or full stop after the tiredly and that in turn will affect whether or not It wasn't mean to be like this should start with a capitalized I.

:O

Grammar is a female canine sometimes >.>

[orionsroad]

According to the tut mimei linked me to, it has to do with whether both parts of the interrupted speach are full sentences or not. If they aren't, you have to comma it, but if they are, you can get away with a full stop.

That it is, that it is. >_< I think half the time I'm making up stuff as I go along. D:

[dapdaphae]

*puzzled*

Who's in your dp, Loki?

[orionsroad]

dp? O_o What's that mean, sorry?

[dapdaphae]

lol default pic.

wait. the guy in your icon for your post is the lead singer of Tokio Hotel.... right?

[orionsroad]

Oh! Sorry, I never heard that shortened version before! ^^; But yes, that's Bill Kaulitz. ^_^

[mimei]

what you italicised is almost correct grammar, however there needs to be a dialogue tag for it to be perfect, i.e.
"No," he said, and shook his head tiredly. "It wasn't meant to be like this."

there's a really awesome tutorial here.

[orionsroad]

Thank you so much for that link! What a brilliant explanation.

(after reading...) Holy batman. O_o It's really scary how much I don't know about grammar. I'm going to have to fix my writing style, I think, since I seem to be breaking rather a lot of rules that I never knew about. >_< It's going to take some practice to set myself straight.

Shows how much they teach you about English grammar in school. -_-

[mimei]

XD; duuude inorite!! a lot of that was new to me when i first read it.

wish they bothered to teach us grammar at an early age/at all *headdesks*!!

[orionsroad]

I honestly don't really remember being taught anything beyond 'what is a verb? What is a noun? What is a subject? What is an object?' which is just sad sad sad because... well, no wonder people have trouble writing stuff well when they have no idea as to the rules of writing.

I'm now rather scared about what other faux pas I'm making unknowingly. ^^;

[velcro_undies]

Many thanks for the link. The older I get, the crappier my grammar gets, and sometimes I don't know where to turn to brush up.

[rainysakura]

Thank you so much, this helped me a lot too! ^^