Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

More Posts from Cceliel and Others

cceliel

2 years ago

fingers in his ass sunday

732K notes View Post

cceliel

4 years ago

THE WAY IT CUTS OFF AT THE END IS SENDING ME

80K notes View Post

cceliel

5 years ago

My “draw the squad” memes so far

494K notes View Post

cceliel

4 years ago

1,252K notes View Post

cceliel

3 years ago

137K notes View Post

cceliel

3 years ago

Hey! Can I ask you if there are games or wips with the 'Enemies to lovers' trope? I'm just a sucker for it honestly

Thanks in advance!

Here are some of the IFs we were able to find! For some games, the RO for that trope has not been introduced yet but will be, and for some it may not be a full blown enemies but dislike very much but may not murder/harm.

If anyone knows of additional suggestions for this category, feel free to message us and we’ll update and add to this post!

180 Files: The Aegis Project by @scribble-games

A Mage Reborn by @mage-parivir

Attollo (depending on who you side with) by @attollo

Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff

Citadel by @bouncyballcitadel

Choice of the Deathless by Max Gladstone

Crème de la Crème by @hpowellsmith

Ebon Light by @underbliss

Greater than Gods by @greaterthangods

Greenwarden by @fiddles-ifs

Hollowed Minds by @shai-manahan

Into The Shadows by @wynnakang

Oathbreaker (VN) by @larkylabs

OFNA: Birds of a Feather by @ofna

Project Hadea by @nyehilismwriting

Royal Affairs by @hpowellsmith

Sentinel by @nyehilismwriting

Serpentine by @serpentineif

Spellbound: A Ghost Story by CorvusWitchcraft

When Twilight Strikes by @evertidings

The Eight Years Revolution by @eight-years-revolution

The Exile by @exilethegame

The Fog Knows Your Name by Clio Yun-su Davis

The Soul Stone Wars by @intimidatingpuffinstudios

Virtue’s End by @crimsiswrites

Up & Coming (no demo yet!)

Legend of a Savior by @legend-of-a-savior-if

Made of Magic and Blood by @madeofmagicandblood

Surveyor by @joyfulbeegaming

Wolfwater (can romance villain) by @wolfwater-games

1K notes View Post

cceliel

3 years ago

Leaked footage of chapter 6 when Malleus tries to go see Yuu in Ramshackle but they’re not here because they’re currently half-head on the VDC stage and he ends up on the ghosts uncles instead.

1K notes View Post

cceliel

4 years ago

just wanting to prove a quick point here. reblog if you believe loki is a complex, well-developed, three-dimensional character who didn’t deserve to be killed in the first 5 minutes of the movie. let’s see how many we are