Punctuating Dialogue

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What is dialogue punctuation?

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Dialogue punctuation refers to the use of specific punctuation marks to indicate spoken words in writing, such as quotation marks, commas, and question marks.

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When do you use quotation marks in dialogue?

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Quotation marks are used to enclose the exact words spoken by a character.

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

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A question mark (?) is used at the end of a spoken question.

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How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

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A statement in dialogue ends with a period (.) inside the quotation marks.

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What is the correct way to punctuate 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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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.

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What is the rule for commas in dialogue?

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A comma is used to separate the spoken words from the dialogue tag (e.g., he said, she asked) when the dialogue is followed by a tag.

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How do you format a dialogue tag after a question?

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If the dialogue is a question, place the question mark inside the quotation marks and follow it with the dialogue tag (e.g., 'Are you coming?' she asked.)

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What is a dialogue tag?

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

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

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Use single quotation marks for the quote within the dialogue (e.g., 'I heard her say, "Let's go!"').