Punctuating Simple Dialogue

Front

What is dialogue in writing?

Back

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a story, often punctuated with quotation marks.

Front

What punctuation is used to indicate spoken words?

Back

Quotation marks (" ") are used to indicate spoken words in dialogue.

Front

How do you punctuate a dialogue tag?

Back

A dialogue tag is punctuated with a comma before the closing quotation marks if it follows 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 'he said' or 'she exclaimed'.

Front

When should you start a new paragraph in dialogue?

Back

You should start a new paragraph each time a new character speaks.

Front

How do you punctuate a question in dialogue?

Back

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

Front

What is the correct punctuation for interrupted dialogue?

Back

Use an em dash (—) to indicate an interruption in dialogue.

Front

How do you punctuate a statement followed by a dialogue tag?

Back

End the statement with a comma inside the quotation marks, then add the dialogue tag.

Front

What is the rule for punctuation when a dialogue tag comes before the dialogue?

Back

If the dialogue tag comes before the dialogue, the first word of the dialogue should be capitalized.

Front

How do you punctuate a quote within dialogue?

Back

Use single quotation marks (' ') for a quote within dialogue that is already in double quotation marks.