INTERRUPTED QUOTE (IQ) AN “INTERRUPTED QUOTE” IS A

Interrupted Quote (I

Interrupted Quote (I.Q.)

An “interrupted quote” is a quote where the speaker tag (“said Joe”, etc.) interrupts (or is found somewhere in the middle of) one sentence that is a quote

Writers use interrupted quotes for variety in their writing – something different from a plain, regular-direct quote where the speaker tag is at the beginning or end of a quote

There will usually be a comma before the speaker tag AND a comma after the speaker tag…the commas both are speaker tag separators (separating the speaker tag from each part of the quote)

Examples:

1 - “I love,” said Bill, “to eat shrimp.”

2 - “Can I,” asked Sarah, “turn in my uniform?”

3 - “I can,” yelled Erin, “fly to the moon!”

(In all of the sentences/quotes above, the speaker tag “interrupts” one sentence.)

DO NOT capitalize the first word of the last part of the interrupted quote (unless it is a proper noun, proper adjective, or proper pronoun) BECAUSE it is NOT the beginning of the quote

Non-Example: “We had a great time,” said the girls, “At the dance.”

(“At” is NOT beginning of the quote – it’s only part of sentence)

Watch out for “false” interrupted quotes (sentences that ONLY look like an interrupted quote but are NOT):

Non-Examples:

1 - “My team lost,” sadly said Tony. “We played poorly.”

(There are two sentences separated by the speaker tag, AND there is a period after the

speaker tag – an I.Q. interrupts ONE sentence. HOWEVER, a writer is allowed to

write a sentence like this because it is correctly done; it’s just NOT an I.Q.)

(This is NOT even correct as is because the speaker tag is interrupting two (2)

complete sentences that are NOT put together correctly – there is a comma splice

sentence here anyway – an I.Q. interrupts ONE sentence.)

1 - An interrupted quote can be a compound sentence (the speaker tag separates two (2)

sentences)

Example: “Arielle sits in the back row,” said Chelsea, “and she sits next to me.”

(comma-conjunction compound sentence interrupted quote)

Example: “Bryce played football,” said Kelly; “he also wrestled.”

(YES – there IS such a thing as a “semicolon compound interrupted quote)

2 - An interrupted quote can actually be two (2) sentences – AS LONG AS the speaker tag

ONLY interrupts one sentence:

Example: “Mary had,” said Seth, “a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow.”

(This works because the speaker tag interrupts one sentence where it is; a new

sentence follows the period in the last part of the I.Q.)