Quotation Marks in Dialogue

Front

What are quotation marks?

Back

Quotation marks are punctuation marks used to indicate the exact words spoken by someone.

Front

When do we use quotation marks in dialogue?

Back

We use quotation marks to show the words that a character says in a story.

Front

Where do quotation marks go in a sentence?

Back

Quotation marks go around the exact words spoken, and a comma is used before the closing quotation mark if the dialogue is followed by a tag (like 'he said').

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

A dialogue tag is a phrase that tells who is speaking, such as 'he said' or 'she asked'.

Front

How do you punctuate a question in dialogue?

Back

If the spoken words are a question, the question mark goes inside the quotation marks.

Front

How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

Back

If the spoken words are a statement, a comma is used before the closing quotation mark.

Front

What is an example of a correctly punctuated dialogue?

Back

"I love to read," she said.

Front

What happens if the dialogue is interrupted?

Back

If the dialogue is interrupted by a tag, use a comma before the closing quotation mark and continue the sentence after the tag.

Front

How do you show a character's thoughts?

Back

Thoughts are usually shown in italics or with quotation marks, but they are not spoken aloud.

Front

What is the rule for using quotation marks with exclamations?

Back

If the spoken words are an exclamation, the exclamation mark goes inside the quotation marks.