Punctuation in Group Conversations

Since group conversations are "live" recordings, you must add all appropriate punctuation

Some appropriate punctuation in a group conversation is different than in a regular job, so please read these policies carefully.


For repeated words, pause words, false starts, stutters, etc., use commas to separate.

I, I, I went to her house yesterday, but she wasn't home.


She was, uh, going to come over, um, yesterday. 

When I was, when I went to her house yesterday, she wasn't there.


I, uh, you know, it was about 12:00 when I got home.

Use appropriate punctuation when you use ****.  If it comes at the end of a sentence or in a place where commas are needed, include that punctuation. 

She said the ****, um, was wearing a red shirt.

The last time I saw him was last Monday at ****.


Do not add symbols or words to measurements (like heights, dollar amounts, etc.) if they are not spoken.  Type as spoken.

He was about 5, 7.

He was about 5-7.

(Either version is acceptable, but do not type 5'7" if the speaker doesn't say 5 feet 7 inches.)

I paid about 60 for the watch. 

(Do not type $60.00 if "dollars" is not spoken.)

Do not use periods on incomplete sentences.  Use dashes.

She said she was coming home, but yeah –

We didn't have –


In addition to the guidelines above, regular punctuation policies will apply.  Punctuation is sometimes overlooked in GCs, but it is very important to providing a polished final product to the client. 


Quotation Marks

Avoid going overboard with the use of quotation marks in GCs.  Reserve these only for direct quotes.  If a speaker is paraphrasing something that someone else said, there is no need to add quotation marks.  

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