![]() Dialogue tagsĭialogue tags (or speech tags) indicate who is speaking and how the dialogue is being said. Dialogue tags and action beats both cue the reader about who is saying a line of dialogue, but they serve different functions and are punctuated differently. Today, I’m expanding on one aspect of that post by focusing on dialogue tags and action beats. If you get into the habit, you will rarely go wrong.In one of my first posts, I shared some tips for writing effective dialogue. It’s not difficult at all to get your dialogue punctuation right all the time.īut the most important is to remember that, in general, you need to keep question marks, exclamation marks, and periods and commas inside the quotation marks. It is a little less cumbersome than using single quotes. “My dad always says, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get,’ and I think he’s right.”Īn alternative is to use reported speech in your dialogue. But if you do, you need to enclose the quotation in single quotation marks and capitalize the first letter. It’s not often that you need to include a quote. Note that you may find that some style guides recommend only using an opening quotation mark for the first paragraph. “Yeah, I’m sure it sounds silly, but that’s how I began my love affair with music and especially guitars.” It’s hard to explain, but I knew there was something about how my arms wrapped around it, and how it seemed to be a part of me. “When he showed it to me, I held it, and I just loved the way it felt. But a friend of mine bought a new guitar. Before then, I didn’t really have any interest at all. “It was way back in the sixties that I developed a passion for music. The past paragraph then takes the closing quotation mark. The general rule is that the first paragraph does not close with a quotation mark, and subsequent paragraphs have only an opening quotation mark. When a character speaks for more than 20 or thirty words, you will often need to use paragraphs. She asked, “What’s the point of doing all this studying?” He said, “All I need is time, and I will resolve the problem.” When you start with a dialogue tag, such as he said or she said, follow it with an introductory comma. It is the only rule that places punctuation outside the dialogue. Use a comma when a tag is before the dialogue “Do you know where Carl is living?” Mary asked.ĥ. “Do you know where Carl is living?” Mary asked. Start a new paragraph for a new speakerĭialogue is very confusing without using a paragraph break between speakers. ![]() But you know how unreliable he can be,” Janet said.Ĥ. When a character uses more than one sentence, always start a new sentence with a capital letter. ” We could leave on Wednesday, or perhaps…” he muttered. “I don’t know, but well–” she started to say. “What time are the guests supposed to arrive?” Ted asked The same applies to em-dashes and ellipses. When you use a question mark or exclamation point, it is inside the last quotation mark. All additional punctuation marks inside quotes “Yes, I agree that there is no way to convince him.”Ģ. ![]() ![]() However, when there is no dialogue tag following, you use a period. “Mark says the wildest things at times,” he said. “I don’t think I can make it on Saturday night,” she replied. When your character finishes speaking, add a comma inside the closing quotation mark.Įven though the line of dialogue is the end of a sentence, you don’t use a period (or full stop). ![]() Use a comma when the dialogue tag follows the quote ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |