Quotation Marks in Dialogue

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What are quotation marks?

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Quotation marks are punctuation marks used to indicate the exact words spoken by someone.

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When do we use quotation marks?

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We use quotation marks to show dialogue or direct speech in writing.

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Where do quotation marks go in a sentence?

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Quotation marks go around the exact words spoken, and a comma is placed before the closing quotation mark if the dialogue is followed by a tag (like 'she said').

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What is a dialogue tag?

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A dialogue tag is a phrase that tells who is speaking, such as 'he said' or 'she asked'.

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How do you punctuate a sentence with dialogue?

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Start with a capital letter for the first word of the dialogue, use quotation marks around the spoken words, and place punctuation inside the quotation marks.

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Example of correct dialogue punctuation:

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"I love reading books," she said.

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What happens if the dialogue is a question?

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If the dialogue is a question, use a question mark inside the quotation marks.

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Example of a question in dialogue:

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"Are you coming to the party?" he asked.

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What if the dialogue is followed by a period?

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If the dialogue ends with a statement, use a period inside the quotation marks.

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Example of a statement in dialogue:

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"I will see you tomorrow," she said.