Punctuating Dialogue

Front

What is dialogue in writing?

Back

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a story, often indicated by quotation marks.

Front

What punctuation is used to indicate spoken words?

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Quotation marks (" ") are used to indicate spoken words in dialogue.

Front

How do you punctuate dialogue that ends with a statement?

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If the dialogue ends with a statement, place a comma inside the quotation marks before the closing quotation and continue with the dialogue tag (e.g., he said, she asked).

Front

How do you punctuate dialogue that ends with a question?

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If the dialogue ends with a question, use a question mark inside the quotation marks and do not use a comma after the question mark.

Front

How do you punctuate dialogue that ends with an exclamation?

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If the dialogue ends with an exclamation, use an exclamation mark inside the quotation marks and do not use a comma after the exclamation mark.

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

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

Front

Where should the punctuation go when using a dialogue tag?

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The punctuation for the dialogue goes inside the quotation marks, and the dialogue tag follows the closing quotation.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for this sentence: "I love ice cream" she said?

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The correct punctuation is: "I love ice cream," she said.

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What is the correct punctuation for this sentence: "Can we go to the park" he asked?

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The correct punctuation is: "Can we go to the park?" he asked.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for this sentence: "Watch out!" she yelled?

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The correct punctuation is: "Watch out!" she yelled.