Dialogue: the text that represents what a character is saying
Dialogue tag: the bit that expresses who said the dialogue
DIALOGUE RULE OF THUMBS
All punctuation connected to the dialogue should be placed inside the quotation marks. This rule goes for all end punctuation: commas, periods, quotation and exclamation marks, and em dashes. To use an analogy, think of your dialogue like an arm. Your fingers (punctuation) are an extension of your arm (dialogue), and the two are inseparable. Your quotation marks are a long sleeve shirt—ya know, the kind with holes for your thumbs. The shirt blankets over your arms, enclosing them. Make sense?
Later, I will review how to know which punctuation to use for each sentence type, but for now, let’s review the placement of your punctuation.
Incorrect: “I lost my sword to the sea”, Yule said.
Correct: “I lost my sword to the sea,” Yule said.
Incorrect: “The sea swallowed my sword”. Yule shook his head.
Correct: “The sea swallowed my sword.” Yule shook his head.
Notice how the punctuation used for each sentence is dictated by the dialogue tag.
Rule of Thumb: punctuation connected to the dialogue goes inside the quotations. Punctuation connected to the action stays outside the quotations.
Next, let’s find out how to know if you should be using a period or a comma.
1. DEPENDENT CLAUSES AND INDEPENDENT CLAUSES
Dependent Clauses:
Do you remember that rule from English class that said dependent clauses need to be connected to an independent clause by a comma? That rule applies here too. In dialogue though, we want to look at whether the dialogue tag is an independent or dependent clause. Let’s take a look:
“The dawn is rising,” Gayln said.
Here, “Gayln said” is a dependent clause, meaning it cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence. So because it is not a complete sentence, it has to be connected to the dialogue using a comma.
Rule of Thumb: dependent clauses require a comma.
Independent Clause:
Unlike dependent clauses, dialogue with an independent dialogue tag will get a more definitive punctuation mark, such as a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
“I suppose.” Gayln smiled weakly.
Here, Gayln smiled weakly is a dialogue action that can stand on its own. Authors often want to connect phrases like “he smiled” to the dialogue, trying to convey the tone of the dialogue through the smile. However, the action of smiling and the action of speaking are two separate actions—two separate clauses—and should be bisected by the period. If the action is separate from the dialogue, let it stand on its own.
Notice the difference here: “I suppose,” Gayln said, smiling weakly. In a sentence like this, where there is a dialogue tag and an action, you would place a comma because neither “Gayln said” or “smiling weakly” is a complete sentence. You would also place a comma for “I suppose,” Gayln said weakly. because, again, the dialogue tag is a dependent clause.
Rule of Thumb: look to your dialogue tag or action to determine your punctuation.
Next, let’s look at another example that uses a question mark.
“Though the dawn is the danger, it is still beautiful, is it not?” Tarkin responded.
Notice here that there is a definitive punctuation (a question mark) paired with a dependent clause—Tarkin responded cannot stand alone. While the dialogue tag is still a dependent clause, you do not need to add a comma after the question mark. This goes for periods, exclamation points, and em dashes as well.
Incorrect: “Though the dawn is the danger, it is still beautiful, is it not?,” Tarkin responded.
Correct: “Though the dawn is the danger, it is still beautiful!” Tarkin responded.
Correct: “Though the dawn is the danger, it is—” Tarkin responded.
Now that you know the basics of dependent and independent dialogue clauses, let’s look at something a little more complex.
Interrupted Dialogue
All of this might leave you questioning, what punctuation do I use when dialogue tags or action interrupt the dialogue. Interruption is a strategic move in dialogue to create pause or show action. For instance:
“You know,” Tarkin jabbed Gayln’s shoulder, “we could still win this war.”
In this sentence, Tarkin’s speech is interrupted by the action of jabbing Gayln in the shoulder. “Tarkin jabbed Gayln’s shoulder” is a complete sentence, yet it is separated from the dialogue by commas. This is because the beginning of the dialogue, “you know,” is a dependent clause and cannot stand on its own. The dialogue on either side of the interruption is uneven, unbalanced—dependent and independent. So what if it was separated instead by a dialogue tag?
“You know,” Tarkin said, “we could still win this war.”
In this example, the interruption has changed from an action to a dialogue tag, but the commas have not changed. This is because the dialogue itself has not changed. It is still unequal. In the case of interruptions, you look to the dialogue—not the action—to determine which punctuation to use. Let’s look at a different example.
“I’ll die trying.” Gayln held his crown to the waking light. “It is my duty.”
In this example, the dialogue is equal, as both sets of dialogue on each side of the action are independent clauses—and the action is an independent clause! The scales are equal all the way across, so you can use definitive punctuation.
What happens though if we take one independent clause away?
“I’ll die trying,” Gayln said. “It is my duty.”
In this example, “Gayln said” is a dependent dialogue tag, meaning it has to attach to its dialogue. However, do you notice how this example is different from the others? In this instance, there is a comma and a period used for different purposes. The comma is used to combine the independent clause (dialogue #1) to the dependent clause (dialogue tag) and a period is used to separate that clause from the other independent clause (dialogue #2). In the way that the above example—“I’ll die trying.” Gayln held his crown to the waking light. “It is my duty.” —separates each independent clause with a period, so too does this example. “I’ll die trying,” Gayln said, while two different clauses, makes one complete sentence when combined. So when you attach them together with a comma, the scale balances back out.
WHEW! That was a lot to go over, but it is important to place your punctuation in the correct spots. Not only will it save your editor a tremendous amount of time, but it will also create an effective rhythm in your writing.
