Punctuating Dialogue

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What is dialogue punctuation?

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Dialogue punctuation refers to the use of specific punctuation marks to indicate spoken words in writing, such as quotation marks, commas, and question marks.

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When do you use quotation marks in dialogue?

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Quotation marks are used to enclose the exact words spoken by a character.

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How do you punctuate a dialogue tag that comes before the spoken words?

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If the dialogue tag comes before the spoken words, place a comma before the opening quotation mark. For example: He said, "Hello."

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What punctuation is used to separate a dialogue tag from the spoken words?

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A comma is used to separate the dialogue tag from the spoken words.

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How do you punctuate a question in dialogue?

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If the spoken words are a question, place a question mark inside the quotation marks. For example: She asked, "Are you coming?"

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What is a dialogue tag?

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A dialogue tag is a phrase that attributes the spoken words to a specific character, such as 'he said' or 'she asked.'

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How do you punctuate a statement in dialogue?

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For statements, use a comma before the closing quotation mark if there is a dialogue tag. For example: "I love reading," she said.

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What happens to punctuation when a dialogue is interrupted?

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If a dialogue is interrupted by a dialogue tag, use a comma before the tag and continue the dialogue after the tag. For example: "I can't believe it," she said, "that we won!"

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How do you punctuate exclamatory sentences in dialogue?

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For exclamatory sentences, use an exclamation mark inside the quotation marks. For example: "Watch out!" he shouted.

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What is the rule for punctuating dialogue at the end of a sentence?

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If the dialogue is at the end of a sentence, place the punctuation inside the quotation marks and do not add a period after the closing quotation mark. For example: "It's a beautiful day!"