Commas and Quotation Marks in Dialogue

Front

What are quotation marks used for?

Back

Quotation marks are used to show the exact words someone says.

Front

Where do you place commas in dialogue?

Back

Commas are placed inside the quotation marks before the closing quote when the dialogue is followed by a tag (like 'he said').

Front

Example of correct dialogue punctuation: 'I love ice cream,' she said.

Back

This shows the comma inside the quotation marks before 'she said'.

Front

What is a dialogue tag?

Back

A dialogue tag is a phrase that attributes the speech to a speaker, like 'he said' or 'she asked'.

Front

How do you punctuate a question in dialogue?

Back

If the spoken words are a question, use a question mark inside the quotation marks.

Front

Example of a question in dialogue: 'Are you coming?' he asked.

Back

The question mark is inside the quotation marks.

Front

What happens if the dialogue is interrupted?

Back

If the dialogue is interrupted, use a comma before the closing quotation mark and continue with the dialogue tag.

Front

Example of interrupted dialogue: 'I think,' she said, 'that we should go.'

Back

The first part ends with a comma before 'she said'.

Front

What do you do with exclamations in dialogue?

Back

Use an exclamation mark inside the quotation marks if the spoken words are an exclamation.

Front

Example of an exclamation in dialogue: 'Watch out!' she yelled.

Back

The exclamation mark is inside the quotation marks.