1. Giving Your Character Life Through the Spoken Word
Punctuating Dialogue
Giving Your Character Life
Through the Spoken Word
©2012HappyEdugator

2. Rules for Using Quotation Marks
Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation – a person’s exact words.
Our team leader says, “I try to practice every day.”
“Let’s go home,” Jeanne suggested.
©2012HappyEdugator

3. A directly quoted sentence begins with a capital letter.
Mrs. Talbot said, “Please get a pencil.”
Kristina asked, “Is it my turn?”
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4. Split dialogue
When an expression identifying the speaker interrupts a quoted sentence, the second part of the quotation begins with a lowercase letter.
“Will you take care of my lawn and pets,” asked Mr. Franklin, “while I’m on vacation next month?”
* The expression identifying the speaker is called a speaker’s tag.
©2012HappyEdugator

5. Split Dialogue
If a quoted sentence is divided, a comma usually follows the first part and comes before the second part.
“Oh,” Donna commented, “he’s probably just saying that because he’s never had a cat.”
©2012HappyEdugator

6. Quote at the Beginning…
If a quotation mark comes at the beginning of a sentence, a comma, question mark, or exclamation point usually follows it.
“Dogs make better pets than cats do,” said Jared.
“Have you ever had a cat?” Emily asked.
“No, and I never will!” he replied.
©2012HappyEdugator

7. Quote at the end…
If a quotation comes at the end of a sentence, a comma usually comes before it.
Terra asked, “What makes you say that?”
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8. Punctuation inside Quotes
A period or a comma should always be placed inside the quotation marks.
“I can’t wait to see Shirley Caesar’s new video,” James said. “It’s supposed to come out next week.”
©2012HappyEdugator

9. The Exception to the Rule
A question mark or an exclamation point should be placed inside closing quotation marks when the quotation itself is a question or an exclamation. Otherwise, it should be placed outside.
“What time will you be home from work, Mom?” asked Michael.
Who said, “All the world’s a stage”?
“Stop!” yelled the crossing patrol.
What a surprise to hear Susana say, “We’re moving back to Puerto Rico in June”!
©2012HappyEdugator

10. Don’t Be Afraid to Use Dialogue in Your Writing!
Just be sure to use it thoughtfully. Make every word a character says count. Never overuse dialogue. It should be supplemental to the description, and not take over the whole composition.