Quotation Marks in Dialogue

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What are quotation marks used for?

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Quotation marks are used to show the exact words someone says or to indicate dialogue in writing.

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How do you punctuate a sentence with dialogue?

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You place quotation marks around the spoken words and use punctuation inside the quotation marks.

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What is the correct way to write: 'I love ice cream' she said?

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The correct way is: 'I love ice cream,' she said.

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When do you use a comma in dialogue?

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You use a comma before the closing quotation mark when the dialogue is followed by a tag (like 'she said').

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What is a split dialogue?

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A split dialogue occurs when a sentence of dialogue is interrupted by a tag, and the second part of the dialogue continues after the tag.

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How do you write a split dialogue correctly?

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Example: 'I can't believe it,' she said, 'that it's already June!'

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What is indirect dialogue?

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Indirect dialogue is when you report what someone said without using their exact words.

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How do you punctuate indirect dialogue?

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Indirect dialogue does not use quotation marks. Example: He said that he would be there soon.

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What is the correct punctuation for a question in dialogue?

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You place the question mark inside the quotation marks if the spoken words are a question.

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How do you write a sentence with a question and a tag?

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Example: 'Are you coming?' she asked.