Dash for Interruption When the Speaker Continues
The Dash
Rulebase Summary
When an interruption occurs and the speaker does not stop talking, use a dash for the interruption and a second dash in front of the continuation of the original thought.
If the speaker picks up the thought after an intervening exchange (another speaker's words), paragraph the continuation and use a dash in front of it. Even if a few words repeat, if the sentence still represents one thought, use a dash to show the continuation.
But if the sentence completely starts over, begin a new sentence without a dash.
Examples
A. I told him that, Q. Let me stop you there. A. I told him that the deadline was Monday.
A. I told him that --
Q. Let me stop you there.
A. -- the deadline was Monday.
Dash pair shows thought broken and resumed.
A. The contract was...well anyway, the contract was signed on Friday.
A. The contract was -- well, anyway, the contract was signed on Friday.
Few words repeat; one thought — use dash.
Transcript Notes
Frequently one thought is interrupted more than once. The 'second' dash indicates that the previous thought is continuing. Notice the dash appears both before the continuation (showing it picks up from earlier) and at the end (marking the next interruption). When both speakers are simultaneously trying to complete a sentence, the dashes show both the interruptions and the continuations. At the extreme, when readability reaches the point of absurdity, the reporter must consider the integrity of the transcript and whether to step in and restore order.
The words spoken by the person who interrupts begin as usual, with a capital letter and no dash. After typing additional remarks like 'Let me finish' or 'Hold it,' type the period, then the spaces, then the dash.
Gregg's differs from Morson's and BGGP on one detail: when a complete remark precedes the resumption dash, Morson's and BGGP place a period before the dash ('Q. Of course. -- the insurance company...'), while Gregg's omits the period ('Q. Of course -- the insurance company...'). Follow your reporter's preference.
Style Guide References (6)
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP
Morson's
Morson's
Morson's