Dialogue Punctuation By Scott Rohrer

Direct and indirect quotations  Direct quotations are sentences that say exactly what the speaker said. They have quotation marks in them. Example: “This is easy,” I said.  Indirect quotations are sentences that tell what someone said without quotation marks. Example: I said that it was easy.

Direct quotations begin with capital letters.  Begin a direct quotation with a capital letter. Example: Ms. Green said, “Here is your assignment.”  If the direct quotation is interrupted, do not use a capital letter when it is continued. Example:”Your assignment,” said Ms. Green, “is to make a powerpoint about grammar.”

Using Commas in Direct Quotations  Put a comma before the closing quotation marks when the dialogue is a statement or it is interrupted.. Example: “When is the science quiz?” asked Nat.  Always put a comma before a quotation mark when it is in the middle of the sentence. Example: Mr. Frishmann told him, “It is next Tuesday.”

Punctuation marks  When the direct quotation is a question, you put a question mark before the quotation marks. It is the same with exclamation points. Example: “What are you doing, Quinn?” asked Robert. “Look at this!” said Zoe.

Periods and commas  If the quotation is a statement, only put a period before the closing quotation marks if they are ending the entire sentence. Example: Alexander told me, “I do not have any yellow slips.”

Each speaker gets a new paragraph.  Once someone else speaks, you must start a new paragraph. Do not do this until the next person speaks; put any actions or description that are right after the dialogue in the same paragraph. Example: “What were you in the play,” he asked. “I was an Oompa Loompa,” I said.