Punctuate this

MaxWriter

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In dialogue:
"I know what you're thinking, do it yourself, right?"

Comma, semicolon, em dash?
 

Kylabelle

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How about,

"I know what you're thinking. 'Do it yourself,' right?"
 

Maryn

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Kylabelle is wise. That's exactly how I'd have written it.

Maryn, more a wiseass
 

MaxWriter

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Oh, yes. I didn't think of using single quotes around it.
That could work.
Thanks.
 

morngnstar

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"I know what you're thinking: do it yourself, right?"

I usually root for the underdog: colon. I don't think you should use nested single quotation marks. Unlikely that the speaker knows the exact words the listener is thinking. It's like an indirect quotation: "She said she would be here," vs. "She said, 'I'll be here.'" It's more like, "I know you're thinking you should do it yourself," than, "I know you're thinking, 'Do it yourself.'"

EDIT: It depends on the meaning. Who should do it himself? If the listener should do it, then no nested quotation marks. If the speaker should do it, then quotation marks are required, because without, 'yourself' can't refer to the person speaking.
 
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Once!

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I know that quote!

I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?


For me "do it yourself" or "Do I feel lucky?" is reported speech. So it needs to go inside speech marks, single or double. Italics optional. Kylabelle's version looks good.