How to Punctuate Dialogue

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Article by: Kerr Pelto, freelance writer at Globe Soup.

Hang on to your quotation marks; this may be a bumpy ride.

Dentist! Did I scare you? The same could be said for punctuation in dialogue! To some writers, endeavoring to use correct punctuation is like pulling teeth with nothing to lessen the pain.

Not to worry; I’m here to anesthetize. Merriam Webster’s Pocket Guide to Punctuation, Hodges’ Harbrace College Handbook, the Secretary’s Guide to Modern English Usage, and The Chicago Manual of Style are in a neat, stacked pile next to me. And, of course, there’s Google. Yes, I confess, I’m a punctuation nerd. But don’t feel sorry for me.

There are two styles of punctuation in dialogue, American and British. To simplify matters, this article will chase after the American version. Less teeth to pull.

Take a deep breath and exhale any fears lurking inside your mind. This might not be as complicated as you think.

Let’s start with the quotation mark and its usage in dialogue.

            Jack said, “Would you like to fetch a pail of water with me?”

            Double quotation marks are used. A comma is placed after “said” with a space between it            and the quotation mark. The first word of the dialogue is capitalized.

What if the dialogue tag (he said, she said) is at the end of the sentence?

            “Would you like to fetch a pail of water with me?” said Jack.

            No comma is used after the question mark, and “said” is not capitalized.

Is your horse lagging behind? Hang on to the reins; you’re doing just fine. If you only get these rules right, you’re still in the race.

If the dialogue was declarative, a comma would come before the end quotation mark.

            “Fetch a pail of water with me,” said Jack.

Let’s go a step further to see what happens when dialogue is interrupted somewhere in the middle by a dialogue tag.

            “Would you,” said Jack, “like to fetch a pail of water with me?”

            Notice “like” is not capitalized. This is because if you read the first half of the dialogue and skip over to the last half, they make a full sentence.

Now, let’s look at quotes within quotes. In other words, let’s say Jack is talking and quotes what Jill has said. What? Did your horse just buck you off? Get back in the saddle!

            Jack said, “I heard Jill say, ‘Commas are ridiculous.’”

            Single quotation marks enclose the exact words Jill said. Notice the comma placement after “say.” There is no space between the end single and double quotation marks. Looks    strange, doesn’t it?

I won’t confuse you any further with punctuation concerning quotes, inside quotes, inside quotes. I can barely keep those straight myself, and I doubt your stories would get that complicated, but if they do, bravo to you!

Here’s what you do if the dialogue tag interrupts two complete sentences.

            “I’m so tired of this hill,” said Jill. “I need a break!”

Let’s make one small change to see what happens.

            “I’m so tired of this hill!” said Jill. “I need a break.”

            Did you notice the exclamation point was moved? When an exclamation point is the end   punctuation before a dialogue tag, no comma is used, and “said” is not capitalized.

This next tip veers a bit off the track, but let’s say your story has two characters. How do you delineate the two so the reader is not confused, wondering who is speaking? When the speaker changes, so does the paragraph.

            Jack said, “Come fetch a pail of water with me.”

            Jill said, “I don’t have a pail.”

            “That’s alright; I’ve brought two.”

            “I might take a tumble!”

Even though the last two lines have no dialogue tags, we know who is speaking.

Okay, what happens when dialogue is long and takes two paragraphs or more? Opening quotation marks are used at the beginning of each paragraph. Closing quotation marks are only used at the end of the final paragraph.

If you need to pour yourself another steaming cup of coffee, now might be a great time.

Do we really have to go into the ellipsis? Well . . . yes! Ellipses are used for faltering speech or incomplete thoughts.

            “I . . . uh . . . I mean . . . no, I didn’t lose my pail!” 

            Notice there’s a space between each dot and a space before and after the three dots.

            “I … uh ... I mean … no, I didn’t lose my pail!”

            Notice no spaces between dots, but there’s a single space before and after the three dots. Both are correct. Choose a style and stick with it throughout your story.    

Whew! There are a lot more rules to the ellipsis, but I don’t think we need to go that deep. Here’s an idea . . . maybe write dialogue that’s not faltering? It might be easier.

You might be thinking to yourself, What is interior discourse? I’ll tell you, out loud. It is unspoken thoughts or imagined dialogue. How is interior discourse punctuated? It can be enclosed in quotation marks . . . or not.

            She thought, “If Jack carries my pale, it will be easier.”

            She thought, If Jack carries my pale, it will be easier.

            Note the capitalization of if in the second version.

            She thought, If jack carries my pale, it will be easier.

Internal dialogue can also be italicized. The choice is yours. Stick to one throughout your story.

Then there’s indirect discourse, which tells you what someone said but not in their exact words. No punctuation is used. (Hmmm. That might be a brilliant way to get out of punctuation or italics altogether!)

            Jack told Jill they had to get to the top of the hill before dark.

Okay, the race is over! Unsaddle your horse and put her in the barn.

I know this was a lot to take in, so maybe incorporate punctuation into your dialogue one rule at a time. If you do that, it will shortly become second nature to your flying fingertips.

I suggest printing this article and having it next to you when you write. And if you ever have any questions, I’m only a click away.

See you next time! Who knows, maybe we’ll conquer the British punctuation in dialogue.

If you’d like to learn about how to write good dialogue, check our our extensive blog post on the topic.

Kerr Pelto was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and lives there with her growing family. Being raised in the South means storytelling is in her bones. Her stories should be read with a Southern accent in mind. Her love of grammar and its intricacies stems from being taught by strict nuns at an early age. Kerr loved diagramming sentences! She has degrees in sociology and theology and was an Executive Secretary most of her life. She is also a professional calligrapher and writes for the Carolina Lettering Arts Society. She loves being in Globe Soup's community of writers who inspire her, are gracious in their willingness to help, and who have made her a better writer.