Using colons and semi-colons in dialogue

Question

I've often heard writers say they don't like using colons and semi-colons in dialogue specifically. I don't often see colons and semi-colons in dialogue, but sometimes it just seems like it's by far the best option.

For example:

"I told you: John doesn't work on Mondays."

Is there any real alternative to the colon here? How about a semi-colon?

"Don't worry; I only get drunk on Sundays."

Is the semi-colon ok, or is it awkward in dialogue? Putting a full stop after "Don't worry" seems strange to me.

Or I could expand the sentence:

"I’ll do anything it takes: rehab, counseling, therapy, whatever I need to do.”

What's the difference between using a colon or an em-dash?

"It's an article about all the types of things you hate: the environment, animal rights, veganism, that kind of thing."

Is the colon above okay in dialogue?

How about something like:

"Trust me; the WASPy stuff is nothing in comparison."

Is a semi-colon appropriate above? Once again, it seems strange to me to put a full-stop.

Or:

"Those things I said--I didn't mean a word of them."

Is an em dash appropriate here? I thought you weren't supposed to put a full clause after an em dash if it finishes the sentence? If so, should I use something else like a colon?

How about:

"I know you; that place would haunt you."

Is there another way of doing this?

Thanks so much for any advice! Please note the question is specifically about dialogue.

Answer 1

Is using colons and/or semicolons in dialogue awkward? No. Using them is fine. To me at least, every one of the above quotes looks perfectly natural. I agree that trying to find another way to write them would be difficult, and in some cases, may even harm the flow of writing by using something unnatural.

It all comes down to what works best for what you are writing. Even very successful authors will sometimes bypass the rules of grammar (or widely accepted rules of writing) briefly, just because it makes their story more powerful. (I regret I cannot give you any examples off the top of my head. If you read closely, you should find them.)

Grammar is a great tool for keeping your writing in a format that is easily understood by all. When you're writing though, be sure to put the words on the page before the correct way to put them there. I love grammar, but sometimes making sure you have perfect punctuation will make your words lack just that: Perfection.

Answer 2

I use colons and semi-colons in dialogue. I have editors at some houses who take them out (house style), usually to replace them with em-dashes. I don't think it really makes much difference so I don't fight to keep the original punctuation, but if I were self-publishing, I'd leave them in.

I think the argument against them is based on the idea that people don't "speak" colons or semi-colons, but I think we do - punctuation is meant to represent the way we use our voices as well as to follow grammatical rules. So I'll continue to use all available punctuation, in dialogue or otherwise.

But if I weren't going to use colons or semi-colons, I'd probably use em-dashes instead.

Answer 3

Colons are fine because they represent a stop, the same as an m-dash. I would hesitate to use a semi-colon in dialogue because to me it's a bookish piece of punctuation. It gives the reader a visual guide that two indepdendent clauses are connected. (I would never, however, use a comma splice instead.)

Answer 4

The difference is that em-dashes are parenthetic and a semicolon indicates a continuous thought.

In your first three examples I would have used a comma.

In the things-you-hate sentence, the colon is OK because it is a list.

Trust me, should be a comma.

"Those things I said" must be a comma. You can't have an incomplete sentence set off by an em dash like that. Remember, the em dash is essentially an appositive, so the rest of the sentence has to be able to stand alone.

"I know you. That place would haunt you." should be a period because they are separate thoughts, not a continuation of thought.

The Chicago Manual of Style (get that book) describes the semicolon this way: "In regular prose, a semicolon is most commonly used between two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction to signal a closer connection between them than a period would."

She spent much of her free time immersed in the ocean; no mere water-resistant watch would do.

Here the semicolon is correct because the second sentence follows from the first. In other words, you could also write it this way:

She spent much of her free time immersed in the ocean, so no mere water-resistant watch would do.

A better example:

We could crack the safe or pick the safe; you need to decide.

Here, a conjunction would be awkward, so the semicolon is definitely indicated. Even though each clause is an independent sentence, they cannot be separated by a period, because they are part of the same thought.

Answer 5

user11233 is correct in their assessment of the grammar.

You don't see colons or semicolons in dialogue in current fiction because they don't work for stylistic reasons.

Thus, in the things you hate sentence, I would go with an m-dash. It's much cleaner.

Dialogue doesn't have to be grammatically correct either. People talk in incomplete sentences all the time. Punctuation should be used as an indicator of the cadence and rhythms of speech in dialogue; it's for revealing character and progressing action not showing your command of the nuances of the English language.

In other words, dialogue should flow like natural speech. Semicolons and colons are distracting. I can imagine certain instances where either might be appropriate — say you have a character who actually does talk in semicolons. But then you're using them to draw attention to something specific about a character, and I would think you'd want to even note this in the introduction to them: "With wispy hair, dark glasses resting on a sharp nose, and always in a well-tailored suit, he was a punctilious man, the type who used semicolons even in speech."

So, to use user11233's last example, while a semicolon is technically correct, in dialogue, I would use a comma, period, or m-dash. It depends on how the character talks:

"We could crack the safe or pick the safe. You need to decide."

"We could crack the safe or pick the safe, you need to decide."

"We could crack the safe or pick the safe — you need to decide."

"We could crack the safe. Or pick the safe. You need to decide."

I include the last one because it suggests the speaker is taking their time, thinking as they talk. It's the best way to write this — if that's what the character is doing. The story should drive these decisions, but I can see no reason why adding a semicolon to any of the above clarifies anything.

Answer 6

I think colons are used for expanding on a particular word before it while semi colons add additional info relating the sentence before it. Example 1 : I bought some vegetables: carrots and spinach. Example 2 : I bought some vegetables; I am planning to be a vegetarian.

Answer 7

I'm not a professional editor, but I am a writer and a beta reader. Semicolons and colons are fine in writing. However, in dialogue? Using a full stop, comma, or em-dash is fine. Semicolons and colons in dialogue? Don't. Just don't.

Others have written that colons and semicolons are writing concepts and tools, and I believe they are correct; they do not work in dialogue. Even if a character is waxing eloquent, use commas (with or without conjunctive words) or shorten the sentences with full stops.

Answer 8

Colon in writing, not in speaking! I have noticed lately people speaking a colon-like inflection into the word preceding an implied colon. This sounds like the person split "like" into two syllables. In speaking it is better to use a pause without added inflection on a word that is not contained within the word itself.

Example--"When John goes fishing, he uses bait that attracts a variety of fish, lah/ike: crappie, blue-gill, and carp."

I'd like to see this trend stop because the colon is a writing concept, not a speaking one.