1. Mini-Lesson
Punctuating Dialogue

2. Mini-Lesson Punctuating Dialogue
Today for our editing mini-lesson we are going to talk about punctuating dialogue. The Richbaub’s grammar book is going to help us talk about punctuating dialogue. Here is what the book says about punctuating dialogue in the introduction to Chapter 6:
Chapter 6
Punctuating Dialogue
Have you read any books lately? Well, if you have and I assume that you have, then you know dialogue is ALL OVER THE PLACE!
The funny (scary?) thing is, however, that even though you constantly see dialogue in the books you read, you STILL don’t realize that two people can NEVER speak in the same paragraph, that there is ALWAYS punctuation at the end of a quotation, or that words like “said” are NEVER capitalized.

3. Quotation Marks in Dialogue
Quotation marks (“”) are used at the beginning and end of a quotation. They surround what someone says:
Examples:
1. “Fish swim,” said Joe.
2. Joe said, “I like white bread. I also like flour tortillas.”
Notice that quotation marks do not go around each sentence someone says. They start when someone begins to speak, and they’re not used again until he or she is finished speaking.
Sometimes single quotation marks are used. Single quotation marks, however, are only used with a quotation inside of another quotation.
Example:
William said, “I love it when the baby says, ‘Goo goo.’ It really makes me laugh!”

4. D. Quick Practice-Add quotation marks to the following dialogue:
Mom said , Will you be home early tonight ?
Dad said , I don’t think so . I’ve got to finish a project .

5. Answer Key Mom said, “Will you be home early tonight?”
Dad said, “I don’t think so. I’ve got to finish a project.”

6. Commas, Periods, and Other End Marks in Dialogue
A. Look at the end marks (periods, exclamation points, and question marks) and commas in the following exchange between Robert and Teresa:
“You told me I could buy this candy bar for one dollar,” said Robert.
Teresa replied, “That’s not what I said. I said it costs two dollars!”
“Really?” said Robert.
“Yes, really!” said Teresa.

7. B. At the end of every quotation there is some sort of punctuation, and this punctuation is always placed inside the quotation marks, whether it’s a comma, period, exclamation point, or question mark.
C. In the second line of dialogue above, there is a comma before the quotation because it’s introduced by “Teresa replied.” Always use a comma when introducing a quotation with something like “Bob said” or “Joe asked,” etc.

8. D. Quick Practice-Add commas and end marks to the following dialogue:
Max said “ Do you like peanut butter “
“ No, I don’t like peanut butter “ answered Ann
“ Then I guess we can’t be friends “ said Max
Surprised, Ann said “ Wow. You must really love peanut butter “

9. Answer Key Max said, “Do you like peanut butter?”
“No, I don’t like peanut butter,” answered Ann.
“Then I guess we can’t be friends,” said Max.
Surprised, Ann said, “Wow. You must really love peanut butter!”

10. Capital and Lower-case Letters in Dialogue
A. When beginning a quotation, always capitalize the first letter of the first word of the quotation—even if the quotation begins in the middle of a sentence.
Examples:
“Fish swim,” said Joe.
Joe said, “Fish swim.”
B. Words like “said,” “asked,” “exclaimed,” “stated,” etc. are never capitalized in dialogue—Even when they come after an exclamation point or question mark.
“We rock!” exclaimed Joe.
“Do bugs sleep?” asked Alex.
“Rain is coming,” said the weatherman.

11. Interrupted Quotations
A. Sometimes authors don’t begin or end a quotation by identifying the speaker. Sometimes authors make a break in the quotation to let the reader know who’s speaking.
Compare the following:
1. Joe said, “Pie is good, but cake is totally awesome!”
2. “Lemons are yellow. Bananas are yellow, too,” said Joe.
3. “Pie is good,” said Joe, “but cake is totally awesome!”
4. “Lemons are yellow,” said Joe. “Bananas are yellow, too.”
Above, lines 3 and 4 feature interrupted quotations because “said Joe” comes right in the middle of Joe speaking—not before or after he speaks as in examples 1 and 2.

12. B. With interrupted quotations the punctuation and capitalization are a bit tricky. For instance, examples 3 and 4 look very similar, but after “said Joe” the punctuation and capital letter usage is different. Here are the examples again:
“Pie is good,” said Joe, “but cake is totally awesome.”
“Lemons are yellow,” said Joe. “Bananas are yellow, too.”
Why is the punctuation and capital letter usage different where the writing is bold and italicized?

13. Multiple Speakers and Paragraph Breaks
A. When you write a conversation, change to a new paragraph when you switch to a different speaker:
“Let’s go to the beach today,” said Marcus. “It’s too hot to play in the neighborhood.”
“Great idea, Marcus,” said Louis. “We should call David. He’s a great surfer, and I’m sure he would love to come with us.” Louis grabbed his cell phone and began dialing David’s number.
“Wait!” said Marcus. “I just remembered that David is away on vacation. Let’s call Tracy and Meredith instead.” Marcus paused. Louis had a funny look on his face, almost like he was suddenly scared of something.
After gulping, Louis finally began to speak. “Tracy and Meredith? Aren’t those the girls who just moved here from Hawaii? You know,” Louis continued, “they might be better surfers than we are!”
With a sly smile Marcus said, “Scared of a little competition, Lou?”

14. B. Notice in the dialogue above that you don’t always begin or end dialogue paragraphs with quotations. Paragraphs of dialogue can contain a combination of quotation and narration—but no single paragraph should include quotations from two different speakers!
Now review your writing to see if you have written the dialogue correctly!