Punctuating Dialogue

Front

What is the purpose of punctuation in dialogue?

Back

Punctuation in dialogue helps clarify the meaning of spoken words, indicates pauses, and separates different speakers.

Front

How do you punctuate a direct quote?

Back

A direct quote is punctuated with quotation marks at the beginning and end, and any punctuation related to the quote is placed inside the quotation marks.

Front

What punctuation mark is used to indicate a question in dialogue?

Back

A question mark (?) is used at the end of a sentence that is a question, and it is placed inside the quotation marks if it is part of the quoted material.

Front

How should you punctuate dialogue that is interrupted by a tag?

Back

When dialogue is interrupted by a tag (e.g., 'he said'), the first part of the dialogue ends with a comma inside the quotation marks, and the tag begins with a lowercase letter unless it starts a new sentence.

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

A dialogue tag is a phrase that attributes speech to a speaker, such as 'he said' or 'she asked'.

Front

How do you punctuate a sentence that includes a quote within a quote?

Back

Use single quotation marks for the inner quote and double quotation marks for the outer quote.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for a statement followed by a dialogue tag?

Back

The statement should end with a comma inside the quotation marks, followed by the dialogue tag starting with a lowercase letter.

Front

How do you punctuate exclamatory dialogue?

Back

Exclamatory dialogue ends with an exclamation mark inside the quotation marks.

Front

What is the rule for punctuating a greeting in dialogue?

Back

A greeting in dialogue should be followed by a comma if it is part of a larger sentence.

Front

How do you handle punctuation when a speaker speaks for multiple sentences?

Back

If a speaker continues to speak for multiple sentences, the dialogue should remain within the same set of quotation marks, and punctuation should be used appropriately at the end of each sentence.