Punctuating Quotations Correctly

Dialogue is the exact words a character in a text says. Dialogue can also be called quotations. Quotations are also found in nonfiction text, like a book or a newspaper article. You can think of a paraphrase as the opposite of dialogue. A paraphrase is a statement saying something another person has said in a different way. Conversely, dialogue is what someone says word for word.

Which sentence from the passage below contains dialogue?

Jeromy stuffed more and more marshmallows into his open mouth, his cheeks puffing out like balloons.

“Stop, stop, you win the bet!” Mauricia giggled.

Ignoring her, Jeromy reached for another. He had declared he could fit 15 marshmallows in his mouth, and he wouldn’t stop until he achieved his goal.

• Ignoring her, Jeromy reached for another.

• He had declared he could fit 15 marshmallows in his mouth, and he wouldn’t stop until he achieved his goal.

• “Stop, stop, you win the bet!” Mauricia giggled.

• Jeromy stuffed more and more marshmallows into his open mouth, his cheeks puffing out like balloons.

Quotation marks punctuate dialogue, surrounding a character’s exact words. They show the reader which words a character is saying and which words she’s not. Quotation marks always come in pairs. One set of quotation marks comes at the beginning of dialogue, and one set comes at the end.

Where should quotation marks be added in the sentence below?

We’re playing hide-and-go-seek, Eli mumbled.

• before Eli and after mumbled.

• before We’re and after hide-and-go-seek,

• before We’re and after mumbled.

• before hide-and-go-seek, and after Eli

Usually, dialogue will have a dialogue tag that tells you who is saying it. Dialogue tags contain verbs like said, asked, explained, exclaimed, demanded, complained, mumbled, replied and remarked. The verb you use in a dialogue tag changes how the speaker says the dialogue. For example, compare these two sentences:

“I ate the last cookie,” Asmara whimpered.

“I ate the last cookie,” Asmara bragged.

Choose the best verb to complete the dialogue tag in the passage below.

Grandpa sternly pointed at the red, foot-shaped splotches dotting the living room floor. “Who tracked paint everywhere?” he demanded.

Cody and his sisters squirmed nervously, looking down at their feet.

“It was all of us,” Cody ________, his voice barely making a sound.

“What’s that? I can't hear you!” Grandpa barked sharply in reply.

• whispered

• shouted

• asked

• interrupted

The first word of a quotation always starts with a capital letter. The end punctuation, the punctuation that comes at the ends of sentences, always goes inside the last set of quotation marks.

When the dialogue tag comes before a quotation, it will be separated from the quotation with a comma. The end punctuation you’ll use will be a period, question mark or exclamation point. The one you will will depend on the type of sentence you’re writing. Just don’t forget to put it inside the quotation marks!

Identify the error in the sentence below.

Lizette whined, “why do I have to wash dishes, but Benny doesn’t?”

• There should be quotation marks before Lizette

• The question mark should go outside the quotation marks.

• There should not be a comma after whined

• The word why should start with a capital letter.

When a dialogue tag comes after a quotation, there are some rules to keep in mind: When the dialogue is a statement, end it with a comma instead of a period. Put this comma inside the last set of quotation marks.

When the dialogue is a question, end it with a question mark like usual. And when it’s an exclamation, end it with an exclamation point. When the dialogue tag comes after a question or exclamation, you don’t need a comma to separate the dialogue from the tag. Here’s an example: “I love mac and cheese!” shouted Joya.

Identify the error in the sentence below.

“We’re going to learn about fractions today.” Ms. Green explained.

• The word We’re should not be capitalized.

• The period after today should go outside the quotation marks.

• There should be a comma instead of a period after today

• There should be a comma instead of a period after explained

In a broken quotation, the dialogue tag comes in the middle of dialogue. Follow these rules to punctuate a broken quotation:

Start the dialogue with a set of quotation marks and a capital letter. Put a comma after the first part of the dialogue, inside a set of quotation marks. Put another comma after the dialogue tag, and start the second part of the dialogue with another set of quotation marks. Don’t capitalize the second part of the dialogue! Finish the dialogue with end punctuation inside another set of quotation marks.

Identify the error in the sentence below.

“Don’t bother us again,” Alex threatened the dragon, or we’re going to come back with even more villagers!”

• There should be quotation marks before or

• There should be a period instead of a comma after dragon

• The word or should be capitalized.

• There should be a period instead of a comma after again

Quotation marks surround the titles of songs, short stories and short poems. They also surround the titles of book chapters and newspaper and magazine articles.

Correctly punctuate the title of the short story below.

• Beware of the Dog

• “Beware of the Dog”

• Beware of the Dog

• Beware, of, the, Dog