Dash Placement With Quotation Marks
The Dash
Rulebase Summary
Place dashes inside or outside of quotation marks according to their relationship to the quoted material. Most often, quoted material being cited is interrupted by the speaker for remarks or clarification, and the dashes will be outside the quotation marks. When previous transcripts are read in court and the original quoted material contains dashes, use the dashes within the quotation marks if the court reporter knows this.
Examples
A. He said, "I went to the store --" and then changed the subject.
A. He said, "I went to the store" -- and then changed the subject.
The speaker interrupted the quotation; dashes go outside the quotation marks.
Q. You read the line "I was on my way to" -- "the bank that morning," is that correct?
Q. You read the line "I was on my way to -- the bank that morning," is that correct?
The original transcript contained the dash; dashes stay inside the quotation marks.
Style Guide References (1)
Morson's