dialogue & Quotation mark use
Rule #1: Quotation Marks
Quotation marks go around spoken words. They also go around other punctuation marks like periods and commas:
Quotation marks go around spoken words. They also go around other punctuation marks like periods and commas:
- "It's nice to meet you." (GOOD)
- "It's nice to meet you". (BAD)
Rule #2: Punctuation
If your sentence includes a description of who is saying your dialogue, use a comma to separate the dialogue from the description. This description of who is speaking is called a "dialogue tag."
If your character is asking a question, use a question mark in the middle of the sentence. You do not need to include a comma:
The same thing goes for exclamation marks:
If you use the word "that" to introduce a quote, you should not include a comma. This structure indicates that the quote is blended into the sentence:
If your sentence includes a description of who is saying your dialogue, use a comma to separate the dialogue from the description. This description of who is speaking is called a "dialogue tag."
- "It's nice to meet you," Sarah said. (GOOD)
- "It's nice to meet you" Sarah said. (BAD)
If your character is asking a question, use a question mark in the middle of the sentence. You do not need to include a comma:
- "What time is it?" Sarah asked. (GOOD)
- "What time is it?," Sarah asked. (BAD)
The same thing goes for exclamation marks:
- "The test is today!" she screamed. (GOOD)
If you use the word "that" to introduce a quote, you should not include a comma. This structure indicates that the quote is blended into the sentence:
- Jeff always says that "variety is the spice of life." (GOOD)
- Jeff always says that, "variety is the spice of life." (BAD)
Rule #3: Capitalization
A capital letter should indicate that that speaker is beginning a new sentence:
Note: Don't capitalize in the middle of the speaker's sentence:
When dialogue ends in a question or exclamation mark, tags coming afterwards that are not names must start in lower case:
A capital letter should indicate that that speaker is beginning a new sentence:
- Mary said, "Call me tomorrow." (GOOD)
- Mary said, "call me tomorrow." (BAD)
Note: Don't capitalize in the middle of the speaker's sentence:
- “Call me,” Mary said, “tomorrow.” (GOOD)
- "Call me," Mary said, "Tomorrow." (BAD)
When dialogue ends in a question or exclamation mark, tags coming afterwards that are not names must start in lower case:
- "The test is today!" she screamed. (GOOD)
- "What time is it?" she asked. (GOOD)
- "What time is it?" She asked. (BAD)
.Rule #4: New Speaker, New Line
Each time a new speaker speaks, you should start the dialogue on a new line:
"Hi Bob," he said, "have you seen my cat?"
"No, I have not," Bob replied.
If the speaker performs actions linked to the dialogue, keep them in the same paragraph:
Bob pointed his finger at Laura. “You stole my cat.” He shook his head. “You always loved my cat more than me.”
Laura began wildly protesting. She fell down on her knees and said, "I never stole your cat." Laura knew where the cat was safely located, but she performed like a true actress. "I haven't seen that cat in days!"
NOTE! - whenever a new speaker's talks, the new line should be indented in the same way you indent a paragraph. It's like each time a person speaks, they get a new paragraph.
"I never knew you loved my cat so much. If Mr. Fluffy means that much to you, you can keep him," Bob said.
"Thank you so much, Bob!" Laura cried. "I promise that I will be a good mother to Mr. Fluffy. I will only feed him the most fancy, expensive cat food and buy him lots of toys." (GOOD)
"I never knew you loved my cat so much. If Mr. Fluffy means that much to you, you can keep him," Bob said.
"Thank you so much, Bob!" Laura cried. "I promise that I will be a good mother to Mr. Fluffy. I will only feed him the most fancy, expensive cat food and buy him lots of toys." (BAD)
Each time a new speaker speaks, you should start the dialogue on a new line:
"Hi Bob," he said, "have you seen my cat?"
"No, I have not," Bob replied.
If the speaker performs actions linked to the dialogue, keep them in the same paragraph:
Bob pointed his finger at Laura. “You stole my cat.” He shook his head. “You always loved my cat more than me.”
Laura began wildly protesting. She fell down on her knees and said, "I never stole your cat." Laura knew where the cat was safely located, but she performed like a true actress. "I haven't seen that cat in days!"
NOTE! - whenever a new speaker's talks, the new line should be indented in the same way you indent a paragraph. It's like each time a person speaks, they get a new paragraph.
"I never knew you loved my cat so much. If Mr. Fluffy means that much to you, you can keep him," Bob said.
"Thank you so much, Bob!" Laura cried. "I promise that I will be a good mother to Mr. Fluffy. I will only feed him the most fancy, expensive cat food and buy him lots of toys." (GOOD)
"I never knew you loved my cat so much. If Mr. Fluffy means that much to you, you can keep him," Bob said.
"Thank you so much, Bob!" Laura cried. "I promise that I will be a good mother to Mr. Fluffy. I will only feed him the most fancy, expensive cat food and buy him lots of toys." (BAD)
Rule #5: Quote Within a Quote
When the speaker is quoting someone else, use single quotation marks around the quoted text inside of the double quotation marks:
When the speaker is quoting someone else, use single quotation marks around the quoted text inside of the double quotation marks:
- "Abraham Lincoln once said that 'our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation conceived in liberty,'" Max proclaimed. (GOOD)
- "Abraham Lincoln once said that "our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation conceived in liberty,"" Max proclaimed. (BAD)
Rule #6: Multiple Paragraphs of Dialogue
Dialogue may stretch across paragraphs without pause. To punctuate, put a period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end of the first paragraph. There is no closing quotation mark at the end of this paragraph. Then, begin the next paragraph with an opening quotation mark:
“He was my best friend. I told you that, didn’t I? And then he stabbed me in the back. Stole my wife and my future. The life that I had planned for myself was taken away from me by someone I thought I cared about. Someone I thought cared about me. I hated him for that. Still do. Hate him bad.
“But he’s been punished, yes he has. He went to jail for embezzling thousands. Not even millions. Just thousands. Serves him right, the petty crook. I feel better knowing that his life is ruined just like mine, and he did it all to himself. He’s just a petty man.”
Dialogue may stretch across paragraphs without pause. To punctuate, put a period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end of the first paragraph. There is no closing quotation mark at the end of this paragraph. Then, begin the next paragraph with an opening quotation mark:
“He was my best friend. I told you that, didn’t I? And then he stabbed me in the back. Stole my wife and my future. The life that I had planned for myself was taken away from me by someone I thought I cared about. Someone I thought cared about me. I hated him for that. Still do. Hate him bad.
“But he’s been punished, yes he has. He went to jail for embezzling thousands. Not even millions. Just thousands. Serves him right, the petty crook. I feel better knowing that his life is ruined just like mine, and he did it all to himself. He’s just a petty man.”
Examples:
Single Line of Dialogue:
“He loved you.”
Single Line of Dialogue with a Dialogue Tag Following:
“He loved you,” she said.
Single Line of Dialogue with a Dialogue Tag Preceding:
She said, "He loved you."
Single Line of Dialogue with Dialogue Tag and Action Following:
“He loved you,” she said, hoping Sue didn’t hear her.
Single Line of Dialogue with Dialogue Tag and Action Preceding:
Leaning away, she said, “He loved you.”
Dialogue Interrupted by a Dialogue Tag:
“He loved you,” she said, “but you didn’t care.”
Dialogue Interrupted, Separated Into Two Sentences:
“He loved you,” she said, hoping to provoke a reaction. “But you didn’t care.”
Question in Dialogue, With Dialogue Tag:
“He loved you?” she asked, the loathing clear in her voice and posture.
Dialogue Interrupted by Action or Thought, No Dialogue Tag:
“He loved you”—she pounded the wall with a heavy fist—“but you never cared.”
Quote Within Dialogue:
“He said, 'The mailman loves you.’ I heard it with my own ears.”
Dialogue Abruptly Cut Off:
“He loved y—“
Dialogue That Trails Off Into Thought:
“He loved you...” A long, long time ago, she thought.
Names in Dialogue:
"He loved you, Emma."
Multiple Lines of Dialogue With Dialogue Tag:
“I wanted to know if James had planned to go to the game,” Maxwell said. “He wasn’t sure, said he had to ask his wife. Thank God I don’t have to ask permission of a wife. None of that ball and chain stuff for me, no sir. I can go where I want, when I want. Yep, freedom. Nothing beats freedom.”
Mixing Dialogue And Narration:
Rachael was a beautiful woman; she’d been told so since the day she turned sixteen. And at forty-two, she decided she was just entering her prime. She stared at herself in the mirror, patted her hair, and grinned at the man watching her reflection with her. “I still got it, don’t I, baby?”
Changing Speakers:
She looked up at the man hovering over her. “I’d wanted to tell you for years. I just didn’t know what to say.”
“We’ve been married for thirty-four years, Alice. You couldn’t find a way, in thirty-four years of living together and seeing each other sixteen hours a day, to tell me you were already married?”
“I’m sorry.”
“He loved you.”
Single Line of Dialogue with a Dialogue Tag Following:
“He loved you,” she said.
Single Line of Dialogue with a Dialogue Tag Preceding:
She said, "He loved you."
Single Line of Dialogue with Dialogue Tag and Action Following:
“He loved you,” she said, hoping Sue didn’t hear her.
Single Line of Dialogue with Dialogue Tag and Action Preceding:
Leaning away, she said, “He loved you.”
Dialogue Interrupted by a Dialogue Tag:
“He loved you,” she said, “but you didn’t care.”
Dialogue Interrupted, Separated Into Two Sentences:
“He loved you,” she said, hoping to provoke a reaction. “But you didn’t care.”
Question in Dialogue, With Dialogue Tag:
“He loved you?” she asked, the loathing clear in her voice and posture.
Dialogue Interrupted by Action or Thought, No Dialogue Tag:
“He loved you”—she pounded the wall with a heavy fist—“but you never cared.”
Quote Within Dialogue:
“He said, 'The mailman loves you.’ I heard it with my own ears.”
Dialogue Abruptly Cut Off:
“He loved y—“
Dialogue That Trails Off Into Thought:
“He loved you...” A long, long time ago, she thought.
Names in Dialogue:
"He loved you, Emma."
Multiple Lines of Dialogue With Dialogue Tag:
“I wanted to know if James had planned to go to the game,” Maxwell said. “He wasn’t sure, said he had to ask his wife. Thank God I don’t have to ask permission of a wife. None of that ball and chain stuff for me, no sir. I can go where I want, when I want. Yep, freedom. Nothing beats freedom.”
Mixing Dialogue And Narration:
Rachael was a beautiful woman; she’d been told so since the day she turned sixteen. And at forty-two, she decided she was just entering her prime. She stared at herself in the mirror, patted her hair, and grinned at the man watching her reflection with her. “I still got it, don’t I, baby?”
Changing Speakers:
She looked up at the man hovering over her. “I’d wanted to tell you for years. I just didn’t know what to say.”
“We’ve been married for thirty-four years, Alice. You couldn’t find a way, in thirty-four years of living together and seeing each other sixteen hours a day, to tell me you were already married?”
“I’m sorry.”