Punctuating Simple 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 spoken words?

Back

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

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 punctuation follows a statement in dialogue?

Back

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

Front

How do you punctuate dialogue that ends with an exclamation?

Back

An exclamation 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 'he said' or 'she asked.'

Front

When do you capitalize the first word in dialogue?

Back

The first word of the dialogue should be capitalized if it starts a new sentence.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for this sentence: "I love ice cream" said Sarah?

Back

The correct punctuation is: "I love ice cream," said Sarah.

Front

How do you punctuate interrupted dialogue?

Back

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

Front

What is the rule for punctuating dialogue that is a question?

Back

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