Punctuation in Dialogue

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An expanded version of Punctuation in Dialogue is available in
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Dialogue has its own rules for punctuation. Commas go in particular places, as do terminal
marks such as periods and question marks.
Only what is spoken is within the quotation marks. Other parts of the same sentencedialogue
tags and action or thoughtgo outside the quotation marks.
Dialogue begins with a capitalized word, no matter where in the sentence it begins. (Interrupted
dialogue, when it resumes, is not capped.)
Only direct dialogue requires quotation marks. Direct dialogue is someone speaking. Indirect
dialogue is a report that someone spoke. The word that is implied in the example of indirect
dialogue.
Direct: She was a bore, he said.
Indirect: He said [that] she was a bore.
Here are some of the rules, with examples.
Single line of dialogue, no dialogue tag
The entire sentence, including the period (or question mark or exclamation point) is within the
quotation marks.
He loved you.
Single line with dialogue tag (attribution) following
The dialogue is enclosed in quotation marks. A comma follows the dialogue and comes before
the closing quotation mark. A period ends the sentence. Punctuation serves to separate the
spoken words from other parts of the sentence.
Because the dialogue tagshe saidis part of the same sentence, it is not capped.
He loved you, she said.
Single line with dialogue tag first
The comma still separates the dialogue tag from the spoken words, but it is outside the quotation
marks, and the period is inside the quotation marks.

She said, He loved you.

Single line of dialogue with dialogue tag and action
The dialogue is enclosed in quotation marks. A comma follows the dialogue and comes before
the closing quotation mark. The dialogue tag is next and the action follows the tagno capital
letter because this is part of the same sentencewith a period to end the sentence.
He loved you, she said, hoping Sue didnt hear her.
The action and dialogue tag can also come first.
Leaning away, she said, He loved you.
Dialogue interrupted by dialogue tag
Dialogue can be interrupted by a tag and then resume in the same sentence. Commas go inside
the first set of quotation marks and after the dialogue tag (or action).
He loved you, she said, but you didnt care.
He loved you, she said, hoping to provoke a reaction, but you didnt care.
Separating this into two sentences also works. The first sentence will end with a period and the
second will begin with a capital letter.
He loved you, she said, hoping to provoke a reaction. But you didnt care.
Questions in dialogue, no dialogue tag
Question mark is inside the quotation marks.
Use this same construction for the exclamation point.
He loved you?
He loved you!
Questions in dialogue, with dialogue tag
Question mark is inside quotation marks. There is no comma. The tag doesnt begin with a cap
since its part of the same sentence, even though theres a question mark in the middle of the
sentence.
Use this same construction for the exclamation point.
He loved you? she asked, the loathing clear in her voice and posture.
He loved you! she said, pointing a finger at Sally.

Dialogue interrupted by action or thought but no dialogue tag

Characters can pause in their words to do something and then resume the dialogue. If there is no
dialogue tag, special punctuation is required to set off the action or thought.
Enclose the first part of the dialogue in quotation marks but omit the comma. Follow the end
quotation mark with an em dash and the action or thought and then another em dash. Resume the
dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and
a closing quotation mark. There are no spaces between the quotation marks and the dashes or
between the dashes and the action/thought.
Thus the spoken words are within quotation marks and the action or thought is set off by the
dashes.
He loved youshe pounded the wall with a heavy fistbut you never cared.
He loved youat least she thought he hadbut you never cared.
Compare this to a similar construction without dialogue:
Hed forgotten all about memy heart ached at the thoughtbut Id never forgotten him.
Quote within dialogue
a character may be speaking and also quoting what someone else has said. Punctuation is
necessary to indicate the difference between what the character is quoting and what are his own
words.
The entirety of what a character says is enclosed by double quotation marks. The part the
character is quoting from another person is enclosed by single quotation marks.
When single and double quotation marks are side by side, put a space between them.
He said, and I quote, The mailman loves you.
He said, The mailman loves you. I heard it with my own ears.
Indirect dialogue for the inner quote would also work.
He said the mailman loves you. I heard it with my own ears.
Direct and indirect dialogue emphasize different elements of the sentence, so choose the one that
works best for what you want to convey.
Dialogue abruptly cut off
when dialogue is cut offthe character is being choked or something suddenly diverts his
attention or another character interrupts himuse an em dash before the closing quotation mark.
Dialogue can be interrupted mid-word or at the end of a word. Consider the sounds of words and

syllables before deciding where to break the interrupted word: you wouldnt break the word
there after the T (t), because the first sound comes from the combined th (th).
He loved y
Dialogue abruptly cut off by another speaker
when a second speaker interrupts the first, use the em dash where the first speakers words are
interrupted and again where they resume.
He loved you
As if I could believe that.
for such a long, long time.
Dialogue that trails off
when dialogue trails offthe character has lost his train of thought or doesnt know what to say
use the ellipsis.
He loved you . . . A long, long time ago, she thought.
Names in dialogue
always use a comma before and/or after the name when addressing someone directly in dialogue
(even if the name isnt a proper name).
He loved you, Emma.
Emma, he loved you.
He loved you, honey.
He loved you, Emma, more than he loved Sally.
Multiple lines of dialogue
for a paragraph with several sentences of dialogue, put the dialogue tag, if you use one, at the
end of the first sentence. The tags are for readers, to keep track of the speaker. A tag lost in the
middle or hiding at the end of the paragraph doesnt help the reader at the top of the paragraph.
This is not an absolute rule, of course. Sometimes the feel or rhythm requires a different
construction. But you can use this rule to keep your readers on track. If a group of guys is
talking, the reader might guess who is speaking, but theres nothing wrong with helping out the
reader.
I wanted to know if James had planned to go to the game. He wasnt sure, said he had to ask his
wife. Thank God I dont 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, Maxwell said. Nothing beats
freedom.
I wanted to know if James had planned to go to the game, Maxwell said. He wasnt sure, said
he had to ask his wife. Thank God I dont 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.
Multiple paragraphs of dialogue
Dialogue may stretch across paragraphs without pause. To punctuate, put a terminal punctuation
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.
Begin the next paragraph with an opening quotation mark.
Follow this pattern for as long as the dialogue and paragraphs continue. At the last paragraph, use
a closing quotation mark at the end of the dialogue.
He was my best friend. I told you that, didnt I? And then he stabbed me in the back. Stole my
wife and my future. I hated him for that. Still do. Hate him bad.
But hes been punished, yes he has. He went to jail for embezzling thousands. Not even
millions. Just thousands. Serves him right, the petty crook. Hes just a petty man.
Changing Speakers
Begin a new paragraph each time the speaker changes.
She looked up at the man hovering over her. Id wanted to tell you for years. I just didnt know
what to say.
Weve been married for thirty-four years, Alice. You couldnt 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?
Im sorry.
Exception. There are reasons having to do with style when you could limit a back-and-forth
dialogue between characters to a single paragraph, but each speakers sentences would need to be
brief and you wouldnt want the paragraph to go on for too long. Keep in mind your readers
expectationsthey expect to find only one characters words in a paragraph.
Mixing dialogue with narration in the same paragraph
Dialogue and narration can be placed into the same paragraph. If the narration refers to a single
character or is in the point of view of only one character, simply add the dialogue. Dialogue can
go at the beginning, the middle, or the end of the paragraph and the narration.

If the narration refers to several characters or you cant tell which character is the focus of the
paragraph, begin the dialogue with a new paragraph and a dialogue tag. That is, dont make the
reader guess who is speaking.
If the paragraph opens with a wide view of a group of people but then the focus narrows to a
single character, you could introduce that characters dialogue into the end of that same
paragraph. Or, you could begin a new paragraph with the dialogue. The key is to keep the reader
in the flow of the story. Confusion over dialogue will pull the reader out of the fictional world.
Rachael was a beautiful woman; shed 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, dont I, baby?
He reached for her bare shoulders. And I love every inch of the it youve got.

Rachael was a beautiful woman; shed been told so since the day she turned sixteen. At fortytwo, she was determined to see herself as the ingnue. Carl wanted to tell her she was now more
femme fatale than ingnue. And that was all right by him.
I still got it, dont I, baby? she asked his reflection.
More than ever, honey.

Rachael was a beautiful woman; shed been told so since the day she turned sixteen. At fortytwo, she was determined to see herself as the ingenue. Youre stunning, sweetheart, Carl said,
pausing by the dressing table. He wanted to tell her she was now more femme fatale than
ingenue, that she turned him on more than she had as a younger version of herself. But Rachael
was not only beautiful. She was touchy. And being reminded of her age wouldnt keep her happy.
Carl was all about keeping Rachael happy.
Simply stunning, he said again
*******
Attributions can come before the dialogue, especially if you want the dialogue tag to be
noticed. To hide them, put them at the middle or end of sentences. You will typicallybut not
alwayswant the dialogue and not the attribution to stand out.
*******

U can study and get any certificates. But u cannot get ur death certificate
U may have AIRTEL or BSNL connection but when u sneeze will say HUTCH
U can become an engineer if u study in engineering college. U cannot bcom a president if u
studies in Presidency College

U can expect a BUS from a BUS stop ... u cannot expect a FULL from FULL stop
A mechanical engineer can bcom a mechanic but a software engineer cannot bcom a software
U can find tea in teacup. But cannot find world in world cup
U can find keys in Keyboard but u cannot find mother in motherboard.