Punctuating Dialogue

1.  Quotation marks show where the EXACT words of a speaker begin and end.

“Mark, did you see that?” she whispered. (direct quotation)

2.  A comma separates the quotation from the words that tell who is speaking. A question mark or exclamation point takes the place of a comma.

“Stop whispering,” I almost shouted back.

“Stop whispering!” I shouted back.

3.  Some quotations are divided.

a)   If a divided quotation is one sentence, use commas to separate the quotation from the   speaker. Don’t capitalize the second part of the sentence.

“If you look,” she exclaimed, “you can see the shadow over there.”

b)   If a divided quotation is two sentences, use a period after the words that tell who is speaking.  Capitalize the first word of the second sentence.

“See that shadow over there?” she exclaimed, pointing to a dark corner of the room. “Don’t you see it?”

4.  When you quote a conversation, begin a new paragraph each time the speaker changes.  Remember to keep the words that describe who is speaking in the same paragraph.

“Mark, did you see that?” she whispered, her eyes wide with fear. She took two steps backward and bumped into an easy chair.

I looked at her and said, “Lisa, you are always seeing things. I have no idea what you are talking about.”

5. Remember to capitalize the first word of a quotation – it is a sentence inside a sentence.

She whispered to Mark, “Did you see that?”

“So this is a dialog , ” said Tarzan.
…….“Yes, that’s right . ”  Jane untied the vines around her grammar and punctuation handbook.  “You’ll notice that whenever a new speaker starts talking, he or she begins a new paragraph, even if it’s very short.”
……“Really?” Even a single word gets its own paragraph, if it’s a new speaker taking a turn.
……“Yes , ” replied Jane.  “It’s a great convenience to the reader.  And that way the writer can skip some of the boring ‘ he said/she said ‘ stuff, as long as it’s clear who’s talking.” Notice that a quotation within a quotation is enclosed in single quote marks
……“The paragraphs have to be indented and everything?”
……“Yup.  But of course if the same speaker keeps on talking, it stays within the same set of quotation marks.  If one speaker talks for a while and changes the topic, so that you’d want to start a new paragraph, then you show that by not closing the quotes at the end of the paragraph, but opening the quotes at the beginning of the next.
……“Tarzan, where are you going with that grammar book?  Please give me that.”  Since Jane continued to speak when she changed the subject, her words got a new paragraph, but didn’t close the quotation in the previous paragraph.