Punctuation of Dialogue

Front

What is the purpose of quotation marks in dialogue?

Back

Quotation marks indicate the exact words spoken by a character or person.

Front

How should dialogue be punctuated when a speaker is identified?

Back

A speech tag (like 'said' or 'asked') should follow the dialogue, and the dialogue should be enclosed in quotation marks.

Front

What is a speech tag?

Back

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

Front

What happens if speech tags are omitted from dialogue?

Back

Readers may become confused about who is speaking.

Front

Is this sentence correct? 'Cliff exclaimed, "Eigth grade is the best year yet!"'

Back

Correct.

Front

Which sentence uses quotation marks correctly? '"Which store do you want to go to?" asked Marie.'

Back

Correct.

Front

Identify the punctuation mark used for dialogue.

Back

Quotation marks (" ").

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate a question in dialogue?

Back

The question mark should be placed inside the quotation marks if it is part of the spoken sentence.

Front

Is this sentence correct? 'While in class today, Miracle said, "when will will go outside?"'

Back

Incorrect; 'when' should be capitalized.

Front

What is the difference between direct and indirect dialogue?

Back

Direct dialogue quotes the exact words spoken, while indirect dialogue paraphrases what was said.