How To Write Dialogue

How To Write Dialogue

This tutorial will help you be mindful of punctuation and the craft of dialogue.

Use quotation marks to indicate spoken words.

Whenever someone is speaking, their words should be enclosed in double quotation

marks. 

Ex. “Let’s go to the beach.” 

Multiple Choice

Which example of dialogue is written correctly?

• Get back here he said

• My day is good he said, "I got a haircut at least."

• "Sure mom is coming back soon," Leo snorted and laughed.

• "My day is good," he said, I got a haircut at least.

Multiple Choice

Which example of dialogue is written correctly?

• "Get back here he said.

• Get back here," he said.

• "Get back here, he said."

• "Get back here," he said.

Multiple Choice

Which example of dialogue is written correctly?

• "Have you seen Bella?"

  "Yeah, but she was going to electrical, so who knows if she is still there."

• Julia, where have you been?"

• "Sophia vented." She is so sus, Addison said.

• Padjiana was the imposter!"

Dialogue tags stay outside the quotation marks. 

Dialogue tags attribute a line of dialogue to one of the characters so that the reader knows who is speaking. Dialogue tags stay outside the quotation marks, while the punctuation stays inside the quotation marks.

Ex. “There was blood everywhere,” Karen explained. 

OR 

       Karen explained, “There was blood everywhere.” 

Multiple Select

Check off all the dialogue that has the correct punctuation.

• "Get to the cafeteria! Run!" Jordan and Seth burst through the doors ready to vote.

• "So much for not lying during voting Aziya said."

• Purple never does any tasks

• "Red is sus," Echo pointed at the vent.

Use a new paragraph to indicate a new speaker.

Any time you change speakers, you should begin a new paragraph with an indent.  If the speaker performs an action after speaking, you should keep that speaker’s action in the same paragraph.

Ex. “Danny, I’m going to need you to take a look at this,” said Captain Mark. He gestured  to the photograph on his desk.

“My God,” muttered Danny. His eyes darted from the photograph to his empty    coffee cup. He knew it was going to be a long night.

Em dashes indicate interruption.

Em dashes are used to indicate interruptions and abrupt endings in dialogue. When using em dashes, the dashes should be placed inside the quotation marks. 

Ex. Bethany began to speak. “I just thought we could—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” interrupted Abigail.

Multiple Choice

Which example of dialogue is written correctly?

• "How dare you come back here! I will---"

  "Before you say anything, you should know this," Aiden paused ,knowing he had the upper hand now.

• "Um, well, you see---"

  Don't be afraid to tell me the truth, Ms. Murphy rubbed her hands together diabolically.

• "How's your day going, Owen?

  "Well, I haven't been totally bored out of my mind yet, but---

Punctuation goes inside or to the left of the quotation mark.

"Wait," Mr. Beirlein shouted, "don't turn the Bunsen burner on yet."

Multiple Select

Check off all the dialogue that has the correct punctuation.

• Denis, don't bother Allen, he is doing his homework.

• Derrick, do you want to meet up after school," Nate asked.

• "Landon, Immanuel, and Peter all voted that Red was the imposter."

• "Evan," Eamon leaned forward, "are you alright?"

• Echo reached a little further, "I'm almost to the top," she called down to Mireille.