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 follows a dialogue sentence when it is followed by a tag (like 'he said')?

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A comma is used before the closing quotation mark if the dialogue is followed by a tag.

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How do you punctuate a question in dialogue?

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If the spoken sentence is a question, place a question mark inside the quotation marks.

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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 speaker, such as 'he said' or 'she asked'.

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How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

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If the spoken sentence is a statement, place a comma before the closing quotation mark if followed by a dialogue tag.

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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: 'Are you coming to the party' he asked?

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The correct punctuation is: 'Are you coming to the party?' he asked.

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How do you punctuate a sentence that ends with an exclamation in dialogue?

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If the spoken sentence ends with an exclamation, place the exclamation mark inside the quotation marks.

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What is the correct punctuation for this sentence: 'We won' the team shouted?

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The correct punctuation is: 'We won!' the team shouted.