Dialogue Rules

Creating Dialogue

Grammar - The Quotation Mark

•       “The primary function of quotation marks is to set off and represent exact language (either spoken or written) that has come from somebody else. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and sometimes poetry,” (OWL).

•       Quotation marks always come in pairs.

•       Don’t do this:

      “John, please turn down your music, his mother said.

•       Do this:

       “John, please turn down your music,” his mother said.

 

•       Dialogue tags are the marker that two people are speaking. They can come before, after or in the middle of lines of dialog.

•       When a dialog tag precedes a line of dialog, the comma comes directly after the tag.

       Right: Javier said, “I like chocolate.”

•       The end punctuation (e.g. period, exclamation or question mark) then comes at the end of the dialog, but prior to the quotation mark.

•       When a dialog tag follows a line of dialog, the comma comes after the line of dialogue and prior to the end quote mark.  

•       Right: “I like chocolate,” Javier said. 

•       Wrong: “I like chocolate.” Javier said,

•       The rules for question marks and exclamation points in dialogue are roughly the same for periods and commas. Look at examples for dialogue with dialogue tags prior to dialogue. 

       He asked, “Do you love me, darling?”

       She exclaimed, “Of course, I bloody do!”

•       And now look at question marks and exclamation points where dialogue tags are after.

       “Do you love me, darling?” he asked.

       “Of course, I bloody do!” she exclaimed.

•       (Notice how the period still comes after the dialogue tags in these cases, with the question mark and exclamation points acting much like commas.)

CAPITALIZATION

•       Capitalize the first letter inside quotation marks if it is the beginning of a complete sentence.

       Right: James said, “You shall go to sleep.”

       Wrong: James said, “you shall go to sleep.”

       Right: “I bought a transistor radio,” Loretta said. “I want to communicate with the ghost of my aunt.”

•       However, do not capitalize the second portion of split dialogue if the second half of the split finishes an already begun sentence.

       Right: “I didn’t think to make my bed,” Holly said, “but I did brush my teeth.”

       Wrong: “I didn’t think to make my bed,” Holly said, “But I did brush my teeth.”

 

DIALOGUE TAGS

•       Again, dialogue tags are the markers of dialogue.

•       The most commonly used ones are:

       I/he/she etc. said/says

       I/he/she etc. asked/asks

•       These should be the most common ones in your writing.

•       The best rule is to keep it simple.  But not too simple.

       “Why don’t you come to the zoo!” she exclaimed.

       “I hate the zoo!” he exclaimed.

       “That’s stupid!” she exclaimed.

       “I know!” he exclaimed.

       “I love you!” she yelled.

•       What's wrong with the previous conversation?

•       At the same time, you want to avoid overly long dialogue tags filled with adverbs.

      

     “Come to the zoo with me!” Sharona exclaimed,

     with the appalling audacity of a woman possessed.

       “I cannot,” Linus whispered, barely audibly, as though he were in a library and possessing a sore throat, “for I’m busy.”

•       Where is your focus as a reader?

•       It is on the tags, as opposed to the dialogue. Now, as you progress in your writing careers, you can experiment more thoroughly with dialogue tags, but for most dialogue, it is best to keep it simple to keep your reader focused on what your characters’ are saying.

       “Come to the zoo with me,” Sharona said.

       “I cannot,” Linus said. “I’m busy.”

 

ORDER OF SPEAKERS

•       When two characters are speaking, you can drop the dialogue tags after the order is established.

       “I saw you at the gym,” Dinah said.

       “I was murdering my pecs,” Johann replied.

       “They looked sufficiently murdered, and your abs are really popping.”

       “Thanks, lady. Wanna date?”

 

More Dialogue Rules

•       Dialogue must be separated so that each line of dialogue receives it’s own paragraph.

•       This is an important rule and it makes your dialogue much easier to read.

 

Dialogue Rules!

•       Only put quotation marks around direct speech.

       Wrong: Mother “told me to brush my teeth.”

       Right: Mother said, “Brush your teeth.”

       Right: Mother told me to brush my teeth.

•       When creating dialogue, only include the compelling portions of speech that show us something about the characters.

•       You’re telling a story.

•       You control the flow of information.

•       The reader will accept that the pleasantries happen in real life, but offscreen.

•       Stories are a dramatization of life, an interpretation. They are not a transcription of life or a documentary.

For Debaters

Introduction to Debate - Check out this article as you put your speeches together.  It'll help you understand what pieces you need in each speech.