Dialogue

Front

What is a dialogue?

Back

A dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a story, play, or other literary work.

Front

What punctuation is used to indicate spoken words?

Back

Quotation marks are used to indicate spoken words.

Front

What should you do at the beginning of a new paragraph in dialogue?

Back

Start a new line for each speaker.

Front

What is the rule for punctuation at the end of a dialogue sentence?

Back

Punctuation marks like periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points should be placed inside the quotation marks.

Front

What is the purpose of using ellipses in dialogue?

Back

Ellipses indicate a pause or an unfinished thought in dialogue.

Front

How do you capitalize dialogue?

Back

Capitalize the first word of the quotation and the first word of each new sentence.

Front

What is the correct way to write dialogue with attribution?

Back

Use a comma before the attribution if the dialogue ends with a statement, e.g., "I love reading," she said.

Front

What is the difference between direct and indirect dialogue?

Back

Direct dialogue quotes the exact words spoken, while indirect dialogue paraphrases what was said.

Front

How do you format a dialogue that is interrupted?

Back

Use a dash to indicate the interruption, e.g., "I was going to say—".

Front

What is the rule for using quotation marks with dialogue tags?

Back

If the dialogue tag comes before the dialogue, use a comma before the opening quotation mark.