Dialogue Rules

Front

What is dialogue?

Back

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a narrative.

Front

What is the purpose of dialogue in a story?

Back

Dialogue expresses and develops character, establishes the setting, and advances the story.

Front

How should dialogue be punctuated when a character speaks?

Back

Dialogue should be enclosed in quotation marks, with punctuation placed inside the quotation marks.

Front

What punctuation is used to indicate a character's speech?

Back

Quotation marks are used to indicate a character's speech.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for this sentence: “What a beautiful day!” said Ms. Wright?

Back

The sentence is correctly punctuated with an exclamation mark inside the quotation marks.

Front

How do you punctuate dialogue that is interrupted?

Back

Use commas to separate the dialogue from the tag (e.g., 'he said') and place punctuation inside the quotation marks.

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

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

Front

What is the correct way to write: “I want some Cheetos,” I said, “so let’s go get some.”?

Back

This sentence is correctly punctuated with commas and quotation marks.

Front

What punctuation should follow a dialogue tag when it precedes the dialogue?

Back

A comma should follow the dialogue tag before the opening quotation mark.

Front

What is the difference between a period and an exclamation point in dialogue?

Back

A period indicates a statement, while an exclamation point indicates strong emotion or emphasis.