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

How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

Back

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

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

How do you punctuate dialogue that ends with an exclamation?

Back

Use an exclamation mark (!) inside the quotation marks and a comma after the dialogue tag.

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate this dialogue: 'I love to play outside' said Sarah?

Back

The correct punctuation is: 'I love to play outside,' said Sarah.

Front

When do you use a comma in dialogue?

Back

Use a comma to separate the dialogue from the dialogue tag when the tag comes after the dialogue.

Front

How do you punctuate interrupted dialogue?

Back

Use a dash (—) to indicate the interruption.

Front

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

Back

The correct punctuation is: 'Can we go to the park?' asked Tim.