I have a number of phrases spoken by other members of the mc's family and added to the child's narrative (because they are not things a boy of that age would normally say). But I'm not sure how to punctuate them, especially since they may be paraphrased/the tense changed to fit the narrative.
Should I use quotes or italics or something else?

For example:

She had once even cuffed the old man round the head, 'to knock some sense into him,' - his mum had 'a bit of a temper on her,' as his dad used to say.


She had once even cuffed the old man round the head, to knock some sense into him. - His mum had a bit of a temper on her, as his dad used to say.

Hi there,

Personally, I think I'd write it like this, to keep it as understated and smooth as possible:

She had once even cuffed the old man round the head, to 'knock some sense into him'. His mum had a bit of a temper on her, as his dad used to say.

I'm sure other people will beg to differ though.

I think I'd agree with Mermaid's version - it looks smooth, and what's going on is clear.

Emma

Thanks. I'll go with that