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Learning how to punctuate dialogue is important when writing the conversations between your characters.
Punctuating dialogue might not sound like a very exciting topic or a lot of fun as a writer to study – but it is very important in making sure your dialogue exchanges between characters make sense to your readers!
Good punctuation will help your readers connect to your characters and help you write a stronger book.
If you’ve done all of the work of planning an outline for your novel and worked on developing your characters, the last thing you want to do is lose readers by making common grammar mistakes!
How to Punctuate Dialogue
Dialogue punctuation rules are fairly straight forward and simple. Once you learn the basics of how to use punctuation in dialogue, it becomes second nature. You’ll be writing down those spoken exchanges between your fictional characters while writing your novel in no time!
In order to punctuate your dialogue correctly, it helps to understand the different parts of a sentence.
Most dialogue sentences are made of two parts: the dialogue, which is the spoken portion of the sentence, and then the dialogue tag, which identifies the speaker.
In this example, we have the following sentence, spoken by Martha.
“I am going to the zoo,” said Martha.
The sentence which Martha speaks is the dialogue. This is the part that ends with a comma. The second part is the dialogue tag. The dialogue tag is what identifies Martha as the speaker.
Now that we know this basic anatomy of dialogue sentence structure, let’s move onto the rules!
The 7 Rules of Dialogue Punctuation
These rules are simple to follow.
Rule #1: Use Quote Marks and Commas
Surround your dialogue with quotation marks and end it with a comma before the last quote mark. End with the dialogue tag to identify the speaker.
“This is my favorite dress,” said Sally.
“I put your keys on top of the dresser,” Mark insisted.
For simple sentences, this is easy enough to remember. Now let’s get into punctuating more complex sentences!
Rule #2: Always Create a New Paragraph Line for New Speakers
When you have a new speaker, you should create a new paragraph line.
Example of Wrong Usage:
“This is my favorite dress”, said Sally. “It looks terrible on you,” said Mark.
In the example here, the two different speakers should have their own paragraphs.
Example of Proper Usage:
“This is my favorite dress,” said Sally.
“It looks terrible on you,” said Mark.
Here each part of the dialogue exchange has its own individual paragraph.
Rule #3: Put Periods Inside of Quotation Marks When Not Using Dialogue Tags
When your sentence ends with a dialogue tag, you use a comma inside the quotation marks. When you are not using dialogue tags, you’ll want to put the period inside the quotation marks as well.
Incorrect Example:
Mark walked across the room to the corner dresser. “I swear I put your keys here”.
Correct Example:
Mark walked across the room to the corner dresser. “I swear I put your keys here.”
In these examples, we don’t need dialogue tags because we have already identified Mark in the paragraph. If we follow Rule #2 of always giving each character their own paragraph, we don’t have to worry about any potential confusion on who is speaking. It’s also not necessary to use a dialogue tag.
The important thing to remember for this rule is that we place the period inside the quotation marks.
Rule #4: Avoid Run-On Sentences – Use Multiple Sentences if Necessary
It’s easy to want to create run-on sentences. Fortunately, it is also easy to avoid them.
Below is an example of a run-on sentence in dialogue with way too much punctuation.
“I love this dress,” said Sally, “I’m going to wear it everywhere, not just to the wedding, but also to the grocery store, the library, and the pancake dinner.”
This above example has several mistakes in it. First of all, you should not put a comma after a dialogue tag. It’s best to use two separate sentences.
“I love this dress,” said Sally. “I’m going to wear it everywhere. I’m not just going to wear it to the wedding. I’m going to wear it to the grocery store, the library, and the pancake dinner.”
You can see in this example above we’ve actually transformed what was one giant run-on sentence into several sentences all within the quote marks.
Is this the most captivating dialogue you’ve ever read? Probably not, but it serves our example here.
Rule #5: Do Use a Comma for Action Within the Dialogue
“I love this dress,” said Sally, carefully taking it out of the closet.
“I think it’s hideous,” said Mark, wondering why on earth she would want to wear something that reminded him of pea soup. “You do realize it’s the same color as pea soup, don’t you?”
In this instance, we DO use a comma, because it separates the dialogue tag from the action. In this case, Sally is doing a physical action as she takes the dress from the closet. Mark’s action is not a physical action. However, it still counts as a verb and an action all the same.
Rule #6: Know How to Punctuate Dialogue in Reverse
In all of our examples so far, we’ve put the dialogue tag at the end. However, both the dialogue tag and the action can come before the dialogue. In this case, you simply end the dialogue with a period and use a comma after the dialogue tag.
Mark whispered, “I love you even if you are wearing an ugly dress.”
Looking into his eyes, Sally said, “Thank you for understanding.”
Basically, when the dialogue tag or the action comes first, you simply reverse the dialogue punctuation marks for the comma and the period.
Rule #7: Multiple Paragraphs of Same Speaker
When you have a character who is speaking a lot, it is okay if you need to use multiple paragraphs. Simply omit the end quotation mark at the end of the first paragraph and begin the second paragraph with a quote mark.
This can sometimes be confusing to readers, but there are times when it is appropriate.
“Listen, I have a lot to say about why I love this dress.” Sally straightened her posture. “This dress was my grandmother’s dress. She wore it when she first came to this country in 1936. She had nothing – no money, no food – but she had this dress.
“That’s where I am today. I have nothing. Nothing! No job, no money, no car. I have this dress. It worked for my grandmother, maybe it will work for me, too.
“I’m wearing this dress, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Again, sometimes it is better to break up your dialogue with different speakers or to add action – but it’s not always necessary. Largely a lot of this will depend on your own unique type of writing style, type of work you are writing and what your goals are as a writer.
Additional Dialogue Punctuation Resources
Many writers can find the task of correctly punctuating their character’s dialogue to be overwhelming. Hopefully these punctuation rules for dialogue will help you improve as a writer.
Need more dialogue writing tips? Check out our article on 6 Tips for Writing Dialogue.
You may also find that a good style manual can be a great resource to have on hand as a desk reference as a writer.
Writing dialogue punctuation does not have to be difficult. With practice and a basic understanding of these rules for when to use commas, quotation marks, and periods, you can easily add dialogue to your stories confidently.
Have any suggestions for ways you can easily remember the rules on how to punctuate dialogue? Share your tips in the comments section below!
Thanks for this, very helpful!
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful for you!
“said Martha”
Batman: WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME!?
“WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME,” said Batman.*
Batman was shocked. “Why did you say that name?!”
Beautiful.
Thank you, This really helped me understand Punctuating Dialogue.
This was really useful.
This article helped me immensely
oh god
Very much appreciated!
Thank you
You are welcome!
What if the quotation ends with a period or exclamation point, and is followed by a dialogue tag? Like this:
“You need to go, now!” she shouted.
Should there be a comma, and if so, where… or should the tag be capitalized?
… now!” She shouted.
Great question John. I would punctuate that sentence like this:
Hope that helps!
Thanks. Just what I needed.
Would you put a comma after the adverb in this sentence? “You fixed that good,” Bobby said, quietly while glaring at Frank.
This was very helpful for a person like me that has struggled with punctuating dialogue correctly. Thanks so much!
This was helpful, thank you. But I’m still wondering whether I need to add a comma after a dialogue tag that is followed by an adjective. Or should that be avoided altogether? For example, is the comma after the dialogue tag in this sentence correct?: “Eat your dinner!” his mother said, angrily. Also, in the one example you gave, would you put a comma between Mark and wondering if there was a period after wondering and the sentence didn’t continue? Thanks very much!
thanks for the help.
Thanks for this. But this works for stories, what about poetry ?
Hi Ben, I am working on answering that question! I started writing a blog post and it accidentally turned into a book that spans about 50 pages long. You can get on the mailing list at WriteBadPoetry.com.
What about dialouge that ends in question mark or exclamition point? For example which would be correct: “Where are we going,” asked Joe? or “Where are we going?” asked Joe. or “Where are we going”? asked Joe. Which one of these would be proper?
Thanks!! Also, I do wish there was a way to print this info so I could refer back to it when working offline.
I don’t know if we have a printable on this one yet, but certainly will see if we can get someone to create it for us! Great idea!
Hi! This article was perfect, just what I was looking for.
I do have one more question, though: If I have a paragraph describing, for example, what my character is doing or feeling, and he then speaks, do I need to put the dialogue in a separate paragraph?
Example: John threw the saddle onto the horse and fastened the straps. He was content with the way the lesson had gone, and was now ready to ride home. He turned to Alice. “You coming?”
Does “You coming?” have to be on it’s own or can I put it inside the paragraph like above?
Thank you!
Incorrect Example:
Mark walked across the room to the corner dresser. “I swear I put your keys here”.
Correct Example:
Mark walked across the room to the corner dresser. “I swear I put your keys here.”
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In these examples, we don’t need dialogue tags because we have already identified Mark in the paragraph. If we follow Rule #2 of always giving each character their own paragraph, we don’t have to worry about any potential confusion on who is speaking. It’s also not necessary to use a dialogue tag.
The important thing to remember for this rule is that we place the period inside the quotation marks.
RULE #4: AVOID RUN-ON SENTENCES – USE MULTIPLE SENTENCES IF NECESSARY
It’s easy to want to create run-on sentences. Fortunately, it is also easy to avoid them.
Below is an example of a run-on sentence in dialogue with way too much punctuation.
“I love this dress,” said Sally, “I’m going to wear it everywhere, not just to the wedding, but also to the grocery store, the library, and the pancake dinner.”
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This above example has several mistakes in it. First of all, you should not put a comma after a dialogue tag. It’s best to use two separate sentences.
“I love this dress,” said Sally. “I’m going to wear it everywhere. I’m not just going to wear it to the wedding. I’m going to wear it to the grocery store, the library, and the pancake dinner.”
You can see in this example above we’ve actually transformed what was one giant run-on sentence into several sentences all within the quote marks.
Is this the most captivating dialogue you’ve ever read? Probably not, but it serves our example here.
RULE #5: DO USE A COMMA FOR ACTION WITHIN THE DIALOGUE
“I love this dress,” said Sally, carefully taking it out of the closet.
“I think it’s hideous,” said Mark, wondering why on earth she would want to wear something that reminded him of pea soup. “You do realize it’s the same color as pea soup, don’t you?”
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In this instance, we DO use a comma, because it separates the dialogue tag from the action. In this case, Sally is doing a physical action as she takes the dress from the closet. Mark’s action is not a physical action. However, it still counts as a verb and an action all the same.
RULE #6: KNOW HOW TO PUNCTUATE DIALOGUE IN REVERSE
In all of our examples so far, we’ve put the dialogue tag at the end. However, both the dialogue tag and the action can come before the dialogue. In this case, you simply end the dialogue with a period and use a comma after the dialogue tag.
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Mark whispered, “I love you even if you are wearing an ugly dress.”
Looking into his eyes, Sally said, “Thank you for understanding.”
Basically, when the dialogue tag or the action comes first, you simply reverse the dialogue punctuation marks for the comma and the period.
RULE #7: MULTIPLE PARAGRAPHS OF SAME SPEAKER
When you have a character who is speaking a lot, it is okay if you need to use multiple paragraphs. Simply omit the end quotation mark at the end of the first paragraph and begin the second paragraph with a quote mark.
This can sometimes be confusing to readers, but there are times when it is appropriate.
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Mediavine
“Listen, I have a lot to say about why I love this dress.” Sally straightened her posture. “This dress was my grandmother’s dress. She wore it when she first came to this country in 1936. She had nothing – no money, no food – but she had this dress.
“That’s where I am today. I have nothing. Nothing! No job, no money, no car. I have this dress. It worked for my grandmother, maybe it will work for me, too.
“I’m wearing this dress, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Again, sometimes it is better to break up your dialogue with different speakers or to add action – but it’s not always necessary. Largely a lot of this will depend on your own unique type of writing style, type of work you are writing and what your goals are as a writer.
Report this ad
Mediavine
ADDITIONAL DIALOGUE PUNCTUATION RESOURCES
Many writers can find the task of correctly punctuating their character’s dialogue to be overwhelming. Hopefully these punctuation rules for dialogue will help you improve as a writer.
Need more dialogue writing tips? Check out our article on 6 Tips for Writing Dialogue.
You may also find that a good style manual can be a great resource to have on hand as a desk reference as a writer.
Writing dialogue punctuation does not have to be difficult. With practice and a basic understanding of these rules for when to use commas, quotation marks, and periods, you can easily add dialogue to your stories confidently.
Report this ad
Mediavine
Have any suggestions for ways you can easily remember the rules on how to punctuate dialogue? Share your tips in the comments section below!
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COMMENTS
Felicity Addams says
July 5, 2018 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for this, very helpful!
Reply
ThinkWritten says
July 9, 2018 at 12:25 am
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful for you!
Reply
Zain Hussain says
July 12, 2018 at 12:07 pm
“said Martha”
Batman: WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME!?
Reply
Ocul says
December 27, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Beautiful.
Reply
A learner says
March 21, 2019 at 2:04 am
Thank you, This really helped me understand Punctuating Dialogue.
Reply
Tiffanie Maestas says
April 29, 2020 at 2:21 am
Your correct and incorrect examples for rule 3 seem to be identical.
This article helped me immensely
Reply
Beth says
March 22, 2019 at 8:19 pm
Very much appreciated!
Reply
Mammad says
April 6, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Thank you
Reply
thinkwritten says
April 25, 2019 at 12:58 am
You are welcome!
Reply
John Ahrens says
April 26, 2019 at 8:21 pm
What if the quotation ends with a period or exclamation point, and is followed by a dialogue tag? Like this:
“You need to go, now!” she shouted.
Should there be a comma, and if so, where… or should the tag be capitalized?
… now!” She shouted.
Reply
thinkwritten says
May 1, 2019 at 3:36 am
Great question John. I would punctuate that sentence like this:
“You need to go now!” she shouted.
Hope that helps!
Reply
Mangala says
June 8, 2019 at 6:50 am
Thanks. Just what I needed.
Reply
Mark Schultz says
July 27, 2019 at 2:15 am
Would you put a comma after the adverb in this sentence? “You fixed that good,” Bobby said, quietly while glaring at Frank.
Reply
This helped says
July 28, 2019 at 4:58 pm
This was very helpful for a person like me that has struggled with punctuating dialogue correctly. Thanks so much!
Reply
gina says
November 22, 2019 at 12:44 am
This was helpful, thank you. But I’m still wondering whether I need to add a comma after a dialogue tag that is followed by an adjective. Or should that be avoided altogether? For example, is the comma after the dialogue tag in this sentence correct?: “Eat your dinner!” his mother said, angrily. Also, in the one example you gave, would you put a comma between Mark and wondering if there was a period after wondering and the sentence didn’t continue? Thanks very much!
Reply
Ben says
April 28, 2020 at 1:33 am
Thanks for this. But this works for stories, what about poetry ?
Reply
Chelle Stein says
April 29, 2020 at 11:25 am
Hi Ben, I am working on answering that question! I started writing a blog post and it accidentally turned into a book that spans about 50 pages long. You can get on the mailing list at WriteBadPoetry.com.
Reply
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Comment Your correct and incorrect examples for rule 3 seem to be identical. Also, an example when a speaker asks a question would be useful. Do you use a comma or a question mark in the dialogue? Thank you.
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Your correct and incorrect examples for rule 3 seem to be identical. Also, an example when a speaker asks a question would be useful. Do you use a comma or a question mark in the dialogue? Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks for this, I’ve really found it helpful.
I do have some questions though:
1. What if I have two questions in the same sentence, something like: “What? Is that true?” Is this the correct punctuation or should it be: “What, is that true?” Or maybe: “What! Is that true?” I’m really confused about this!
2. Secondly, if a character is saying something like: “What the heck?”, is this the correct punctuation or should it rather be: “What the heck!”
3. Lastly, if a character is both surprised and curious, like they’ve told him he’s won a really expensive car: which of these would be the correct punctuation of his reaction: “What?!” Or “What!?” Or “What…?” Or “What…!”
Thanks again.
Whether to use an exclamation point or a question mark is usually up to the writer. In the example of #3, it’s best to make a decision and decide to use either an exclamation point or a question mark but not both.
Super duper helpful. I am always having trouble with my language arts assignments because of my grammar and punctuation . I find this site extremely helpful to me .
Glad it is helpful for you!
To be grammatically correct, the sentence should be this:
“You fixed that well,” Bobby said quietly, glaring at Frank.
However, that sounds strange. You might try to substitute whispered, muttered, or murmured for “said quietly.”
Ex: “You fixed that well,” Bobby muttered, glaring at Frank.
If using “good” instead of well is a style choice that reflects Bobby’s character, go ahead and keep the “good.”
Thank you so much for this article! I have a few questions I am encountering in my writing, I will use examples for clarity.
*Is it still a tagline when it designates who is speaking without specifically using words such as “said”, “replied”, etc. (like using action or description of internal thoughts to designate who is speaking)?
In the following sentence is there a comma or a period inside the quotation marks?
“I think I spilled coffee on your dress,” John was inching his way out the door.”
I saw the following already posted, but there was a long post after that that requoted the entire article and I couldn’t locate the answer, sorry for the repeated question.
*If a character speaks, acts, speaks again, should it all be in the same paragraph?
“I can clean it,” John swore with one hand in the air. “I have methods,” he continued, his other hand on the doorknob. He cleared his throat. John took a breath and stood on the balls of his feet. “I’ll be right back…” He opened the door and, with a final grin, sauntered out of the house.
*Also, should all of this in the above squalid example of fiction be in the same paragraph, broken up by dialogue, broken up by action, both, neither, or something else altogether?
Thank you for you help! 🙂
I saw the following error (among others) that I wrote:
“I think I spilled coffee on your dress,” John was inching his way out the door.”
I don’t know how the extra quotes at the end happened, but it should have looked like this:
“I think I spilled coffee on your dress,” John was inching his way out the door.
What about when two speakers are in a room together having a conversation?
ya it helped me to on my writing in school.it helped me understand to how to do it and what to do.
BIG Thanks.