Punctuating Dialogue

Front

What is dialogue in writing?

Back

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

Front

What punctuation is used to indicate the beginning and end of dialogue?

Back

Quotation marks (" ") are used to indicate the beginning and end of dialogue.

Front

How do you punctuate a question in dialogue?

Back

A question mark (?) is placed inside the quotation marks at the end of the spoken words.

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

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

Front

When do you start a new paragraph in dialogue?

Back

You start a new paragraph every time a new character speaks.

Front

How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

Back

A comma (,) is used before the closing quotation marks if the dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for this dialogue: 'I love reading' said Sarah?

Back

"I love reading," said Sarah.

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate this dialogue: 'Can we go to the park' asked John?

Back

"Can we go to the park?" asked John.

Front

What do you do if a character's dialogue is interrupted?

Back

Use an em dash (—) to indicate the interruption.

Front

How do you punctuate this dialogue: 'I can't believe it' she said 'it's amazing'?

Back

"I can't believe it," she said, "it's amazing."