Punctuating Dialogue - 6 Rules

Punctuating Dialogue

When you write dialogue, be sure to punctuate it correctly so that your readers can see who is talking and where a line of dialogue begins or ends. The rules for using quotation marks, commas, end marks, and paragraph-breaks are listed below.

1. Use quotation marks before and after a character's exact words. Place a period inside closing quotation marks.

"Peter and Esteban are joining us."

2. Start a new paragraph when you move from one speaker to another.

"How long a hike is it?" Ray asked. "I don't know whether I have the energy."

"I think," said Iris, "that it's about seven miles to the top."

3. When a speaker's tag / attribution tag (he said, she said, I asked, etc.) introduces a quotation, place a comma after the speaker’s tag and before the beginning of the quotation.

Harry said, "Come on, Ray. It'll be fun."

When a speaker's tag / attribution tag follows the quotation, place the comma inside the closing quotation marks.

"Let's go," Gilda said. 

4. A divided quotation is one in which the speaker’s tag appears in the middle of the quotation. In this case, use quotation marks around each part of a divided quotation. Remember to set off the speaker's tag with commas.

"I'm not sure," said Ray, "that I feel like it."

5. When a question mark or an exclamation point is part of the quotation, place the question mark or exclamation point inside the quotation marks.

"When will we be back?" Ray asked.

"Hooray!" shouted Debbi.

6. When a question mark or an exclamation point is not part of the quotation, place the question mark or exclamation point outside the quotation marks.

Did I hear Ray say, "You're right"?

I can't believe he said, "Okay"!