Punctuating Dialogue

Front

What is the purpose of quotation marks in dialogue?

Back

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

Front

How should a question in dialogue be punctuated?

Back

A question in dialogue should end with a question mark inside the quotation marks.

Front

What punctuation follows a dialogue tag?

Back

A comma is used before the opening quotation marks if the dialogue tag comes before the spoken words.

Front

How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

Back

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

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

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

Front

When should you capitalize the first word in dialogue?

Back

The first word of the spoken sentence should be capitalized.

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate this sentence? 'I can't believe it' she said.

Back

The correct punctuation is: 'I can't believe it,' she said.

Front

How do you punctuate 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 punctuation when a sentence ends with a quote?

Back

If the sentence ends with a quote, the punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.

Front

How do you format dialogue in a paragraph?

Back

Each new speaker's dialogue should start on a new line.