![]() If the first word after the dialogue is not a proper noun (such as John or Stacey), that word is not capitalized. In the third & fourth sentences, the question mark or exclamation mark takes the place of the comma, again inside the quotes. The proper punctuation of the first two sentences shows the comma inside the closing quotes, followed by the dialogue tag. “I don’t know who did it!” shouted (description) Stacey (identity). “Do you want to go out tonight?” John (identity) asked (description). “I need to take a nap,” he (identity) mumbled (description). “I’ll walk you back to your ship,” she (identity) said (description). He asked, she said, John murmured or whispered, Stacey shouted or screamed―these are all dialogue tags. So, what makes a dialogue tag? There are two criteria: it must identify the speaker and describe the dialogue, though it doesn’t always have to be in that particular order. However, the punctuation needed in each case is different, and bad punctuation is one way to appear as a novice writer (as well as annoying any grammar nerds among your readers). This can be quite effective in making a sentence or scene more active. ![]() One of the modern style choices we have is substituting character actions for dialogue tags. Is there a simple explanation you can give me?Īnswer: There is a simple explanation, but it’s not a short one. I’ve read up on the subject but I’m still kind of confused. My problem: it seems like everyone has a different way of punctuating dialogue, and I’m at a loss to figure out what’s right. I’ve been reading a lot lately, and I also do beta-reading for some of my writer friends. I was glad to get the question, because it’s also a pet peeve of mine. Get that sparkling dialogue down on the page and then fine-tune your periods and commas.Last week I got an e-mail from a reader about punctuating dialogue. Keep these rules in the back of your mind, but don’t worry too much about them as you draft. Adding an additional punctuation mark at the end undercuts this signal. Why? Dashes and ellipses used in this way signal that a sentence or phrase is incomplete. “I do not have a problem!” Jane shouted, grabbing the bottle of sriracha sauce and running from the room. “Darling, I think you might have a prob-” “I see what’s going on now,” Joe said gently. ” Jane covered her face with her hands and sobbed. If your dialogue line is cut off with a dash or trails off with an ellipsis, don’t use any further punctuation after the dash or ellipsis. Why? Because the dialogue line functions grammatically as the object of the verb yells, “he yells” is part of the same sentence as the dialogue line. “Of course not! What kind of monster do you think I am?” he yelled, pushing aside the cartons of takeout food to reveal the bright red bottle. If your dialogue line ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, don’t capitalize the dialogue tag that follows it as long as it abides by rule one, above. However, Joe does not smile his words to Claire he speaks them, with a smile. Jane, desperate for her favorite hot sauce, whispers her words to Joe. When you use a comma to connect the dialogue tag to the dialogue line, you are making the dialogue itself the object of the action. Why? A dialogue tag includes a subject and a verb. ![]() “Of course not! What kind of monster do you think I am?” He smiled at her, pushing aside the cartons of takeout food to reveal the bright-red bottle. “Please tell me you didn’t use up all of the sriracha,” Jane whispered, staring at Joe with desperate eyes. But if your dialogue tag involves action (looked, smiled, shrugged), end the dialogue line with a period and start a new sentence. If your dialogue tag involves speech or voice (said, asked, answered, whispered), use a comma at the end of the dialogue line. Keep reading for three more advanced rules you should also know. You know, of course, the most fundamental rule, which is that punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks. But the rules in this area are at least straightforward and easy to master. Punctuating dialogue is a fiddly job, and the typical novel has a lot of it.
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