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.”

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nubelo

8 months ago

Why tf is the best food always from the most random places like no we're not going to Panda Express we're going to that restaurant next to the abandoned store that's run by a bunch of Latina women, they have better rice.

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nubelo

1 year ago

He loves it tho dw

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nubelo

6 months ago

Being Baki's side character friend would easily be some of the funniest shit ever. Like, imagine you meet some nice kid your age and he's like "Hey you wanna do something cool?" and he takes you to meet this eight foot tall five hundred pound wrestler who can kill people by snapping his fingers real loud or some shit and he's like "Wanna watch me fight him?"

Then you meet his dad and he's just as fucking crazy as he is and his poor girlfriend's just constantly getting sidelined for whatever brawlic motherfucker suddenly is visiting Japan that day.

But the funniest thing is that Baki's such a genuinely sweet kid and after everything is probably like "Anyways you wanna go watch a movie or something?"

Being Baki's Side Character Friend Would Easily Be Some Of The Funniest Shit Ever. Like, Imagine You

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nubelo

1 month ago

It's kinda funny (in a lame way) that dudes were calling LADS a gooner game for having the audacity to acknowledge that most women get periods when games that are intended for straight men will have full tiddy and ass out and have the girls never stfu about how much they just loooove the player.

But God forbid a woman want a partner that'll support her when her body's basically turning against her. That's just toooo much.

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nubelo

4 months ago

To reiterate:

Trump's transphobic Executive Orders regarding healthcare and Federal documents are currently unenforceable and are not current actionable policy of the Federal government.

Do not despair.

Do not panic.

And most importantly: do not comply in advance.

Staying alive is a radical act as a trans person in Trump's America.

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nubelo

2 months ago

|Judgement|

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nubelo

2 months ago

"But not ALL men" ass response lmfao

Some encouraging words for those starting to feel ashamed of being from the US ❤️

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nubelo

9 months ago

|You should at least curse me at the end.|

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nubelo

6 months ago

We need to talk about how many hateful grifters gain their audience by preying on hurt and disillusioned young men. I'm sick of seeing fucks like Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate spout bullshit and get praise by men who don't know any better and are just looking for someone they think they can believe in. It's almost cult like.

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nubelo

1 year ago

How I sit in bed after I wake up and realize I'm not being gently cradled in the arms of my forest monster husband who's twice my size and stole me away from my life as a simple village boy to be his servant before we fell in love and got married under the moon's pale light with only the fireflies and critters as our audience: