How to Punctuate Thoughts in an Essay

Just as fiction writers let us peek inside the head of a character now and then, essayists can, too. In an essay, these peeks create a narrative tension between the the writer's internal life and external actions, and that makes the essay more fun to read. Correctly setting thoughts on paper in a manner that won't confuse the reader is tricky.Clarity lies in the punctuation. Before you punctuate, consider the difference between a direct thought and an indirect thought. Direct thoughts are almost like dialogue. Indirect thoughts are part of the narration.

Instructions

    • 1

      Place quotation marks around a direct thought, the same as you would with dialogue. For example, the last half of the last sentence in this passage is a direct thought: I was four when my mother and father brought home my baby sister. They gave me a balloon so I would feel special too. I looked at my sister's little pink face, and I thought, "I wonder what will happen if I pop this balloon?"

    • 2

      Place a comma before the thought if you start with "I thought." For example: I thought, "I wonder what will happen if I pop this balloon?" Use the appropriate point of punctuation to end the thought.

    • 3

      Place a comma after the thought if the words "I thought" appear at the end, like this: I looked at my sister's little pink face. "I wonder what will happen if I pop this balloon," I thought.

      Leave out the question mark or other point of punctuation in this case.

    • 4

      Write an indirect thought as part of the narrative rather than as if it were dialogue. Do not use quotation marks. Like this: My mother sat on the couch so I could see my new sister more easily, and I wondered why she was so little and if she would ever get as big as me.

      Do not place a comma after "I wondered" when you introduce the thought.

      Alternatively, you might write: My mother sat on the couch so I could see my new sister more easily. She was so little, I wondered if she would ever get as big as me.

      Notice you still do not place a comma after "I wondered."

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