Punctuating Dialogue: Essential Rules and Practice

What is a dialogue?

• A detailed description of a scene

• A conversation between two characters

• A narrative passage

• A monologue by a single character

What is the purpose of dialogue in a story?

• To describe characters physically

• To provide a list of events

• To advance the plot and develop characters

• To fill space

Where do quotation marks go in a dialogue?

• At the end of each sentence

• Before the first word and after the last word the character says

• Only at the beginning of the dialogue

• Before and after the dialogue tag

What does the opening quotation mark signify?

• The end of a dialogue

• The dialogue tag

• The beginning of the spoken sentence

• The start of a narrative passage

What is indicated by the closing quotation mark in a dialogue?

• The end of the spoken sentence

• The introduction of a new character

• The continuation of the dialogue

• The start of a new paragraph

How is the first word in a dialogue sentence treated?

• It is underlined

• It is written in lowercase

• It is capitalized

• It is italicized

Why is the first letter of the first word in a dialogue capitalized?

• To indicate shouting

• To show emphasis

• To signify the start of a new sentence

• To highlight a character's name

What role does a dialogue tag play?

• It introduces new characters

• It describes the setting

• It indicates who is speaking and how

• It provides background information

Where is the comma placed when the dialogue tag comes after the spoken words?

• Inside the opening quotation mark

• Right before the closing quotation mark

• Before the opening quotation mark

• After the dialogue tag

How does the position of the dialogue tag affect comma placement?

• Comma is always omitted in dialogues

• It does not affect comma placement

• Comma placement depends on the dialogue tag's position

• Comma is always placed outside the quotation marks