Punctuating Dialogue

Front

What is dialogue in writing?

Back

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a story.

Front

Why is punctuation important in dialogue?

Back

Punctuation helps clarify the meaning of the dialogue and indicates how it should be read.

Front

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

Back

A question mark (?) is used to indicate a question.

Front

What punctuation mark is used to indicate excitement or strong emotion in dialogue?

Back

An exclamation mark (!) is used to indicate excitement or strong emotion.

Front

How should you punctuate dialogue that is interrupted?

Back

Use a dash (—) to indicate the interruption.

Front

What do you do when a new character speaks in dialogue?

Back

Start a new paragraph and indent the first line.

Front

How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

Back

Use a comma before the closing quotation mark if the dialogue is followed by a tag (e.g., he said, she asked).

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

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

Front

How do you punctuate dialogue that ends with a question?

Back

Place the question mark inside the quotation marks.

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate this dialogue? 'I can't believe it said Sarah'

Back

"I can't believe it," said Sarah.