Translation: Proper nouns are capitalized, common nouns are lowercase. The rule for dialogue tag capitalization is very simple: if a word would be capitalized or lowercase if it was in the middle of a sentence, it will be capitalized or lowercase in the dialogue tag. I intentionally used all names in the previous section so that we could address capitalization here. If you have any questions, be sure to ask!Īnother common error when it comes to dialogue tags is the capitalization of the tags. I believe that is all for dialogue punctuation. Be sure that a period is separating your tag from the following dialogue though, not another comma. Comma if it would otherwise be a period, exclamation mark if something is being exclaimed, question mark if something is being asked. If your dialogue tag is interrupting two different sentences of dialogue, you use the usual dialogue tag rules. “I can’t believe,” said Mary, “that it’s already Friday.” If your dialogue tag is interrupting a single sentence, you use a comma before and after the dialogue tag: Depending on your answer changes the punctuation. When deciding the punctuation of the dialogue tag, you must ask yourself a very important question: Is the dialogue interrupting a single sentence of dialogue OR two different sentences in the dialogue. The final placement of the dialogue tag is in the middle of the dialogue. In the example above, the dialogue is the end of the sentence containing the dialogue, so it has a period at the end. But that’s only if the dialogue tag is AFTER the dialogue. I say, “My dog is randomly growing at me to try to get me to play with him.”īut wait, Cross, didn’t you say you don’t use periods when it comes to dialogue tags? Why, yes, I did. Troy yells, “But I’m a basketball player!” Gabriella asks, “Would you like to sing with me?” When the dialogue tag comes BEFORE the dialogue, you always place a comma between the tag and the dialogue. PLEASE NOTE! The punctuation is always inside of the quotation mark.ĭialogue tags don’t only come at the end of the sentence, and each placement of dialogue tags has its own special rule. If, however, the sentence does not have a dialogue tag following it (let’s say it’s a single paragraph with only the dialogue), then you will use a period. “Don’t forget milk,” Dennis reminded her. “Don’t forget milk.” Dennis reminded her. In the place of periods, if you have a dialogue tag, you MUST use a comma (there are a few exceptions we will go over in a later chapter). You NEVER use periods with dialogue tags. The only other punctuation would be a period, right? You use a period at the end of sentences just like exclamation marks and question marks. However, what makes people stumble is the last and most common type of punctuation with dialogue tags, and that is dialogue that is neither an exclamation or a question mark. “Of course I do!” Opal exclaimed, adjusting her pink dress. “Do you like the color pink?” Mariana asked. When someone asks something, you use a question mark. When someone is exclaiming something, you use an exclamation mark. There are three types of punctuation that people will use for dialogue when using dialogue tags. Dialogue tags have very specific punctuation rules that we will now go over. This is honestly one of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in newer writers on this site. Tucker, whisperer Sarah, noted Marcus, etc.). It can also be done in a reverse order (snapped Mr. Tucker snapped, Sarah whispered, Marcus noted. ” Examples of dialogue tags include: he said, she asked, Mr. A phrase included before, between, or after dialogue to indicate who is speaking by using the format of “Speaker.
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