Punctuating Dialogue

Warm-Up: Punctuate each sentence correctly 1.) We watched Flowers for Algernon in class last week 2.) Ms. Logan the other Gold Team English teacher told me to practice punctuating dialogue in class 3.) What did you do this weekend asked Ms. Mulhern 4.) Danny said I had a great time I went to the movies 5.) Michael asked him What did you see 6.) The movie I saw Danny replied was School of Rock 7.) What a great movie exclaimed Michael 8.) Have you seen it asked Danny What did you think

Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation - a person’s exact words “Has anyone in the class swum in the Great Salt Lake?” asked Mrs. Estrada. “I swam there last summer,” said Peggy Ann.

Do not use quotation marks for an indirect quotation - a rewording of a direct quotation DQ: Kaya asked, “What is your interpretation of the poem?” IQ: Kaya asked for my interpretation of the poem.

A direct quotation begins with a capital letter Brandon shouted, “Let’s get to work!” Abraham Lincoln said, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”

When the expression identifying the speaker interrupts a quoted sentence, the second part of the quotation begins with a small letter. “What are some of the things,” asked Mrs. Perkins, “that the astronauts discovered on the moon?” “One thing they found,” answered Gwen, “was that the moon is covered by a layer of dust.”

When the second part of a divided quotation is a sentence, it begins with a capital letter. “Any new means of travel is exciting,” remarked Mrs. Perkins. “Space travel is no exception.” ** Notice that a period, not a comma, follows the interrupting expression.**

A direct quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point, but not by a period. “I’ve just finished reading a book about Narcissa Whitman,” Alyssa said. “Was she one of the early settlers in the Northwest?” asked Delia. “What an adventure!” exclaimed Lola.

A period or a comma is always placed inside the closing quotation marks. Ramon said, “Hank Aaron was a better player than Babe Ruth because he hit more homeruns in his career.” “But Hank Aaron never hit sixty homers in one year,” Paula responded.

A question mark or an exclamation point is placed inside the closing quotation marks when the quotation itself is a question or an exclamation. Otherwise, it is placed outside.

Quotation as question: “Is the time difference between Los Angeles and Chicago two hours?” asked Ken. Linda exclaimed, “I thought everyone knew that!” Sentence, not quotation, as question: What did Jade Snow Wong mean in her story “A Time of Beginnings” when she wrote, “Like the waves of the sea, no two pieces of pottery art can be identical”?

Begin a new paragraph each time you change speakers in a dialogue “No,” I answered. “I do not fish for carp. It is bad luck.” “Do you know why?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. “No,” I said and held my breath.

When a quotation consists of several sentences, place quotation marks at the beginning and at the end of the whole quotation “Memorize your lines for Monday. Have someone at home give you your cues. Enjoy your weekend!” said Ms. Logan.

Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation “I said, ‘The quiz will cover Unit 2 and your special reports,’” repeated Mr. Allyn. “What Langston Hughes poem begins with the line ‘Well, son, I’ll tell you:/ Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair’?” Carol asked.

Use quotation marks to enclose titles of short works such as short stories, poems, articles, songs, and chapters and other parts of books “The War of the Wall” “The Road Not Taken” “The Lady or the Tiger” “The Rising”