Dialogue

A Lesson by CK_85

This discussion will be done on utilizing commas in dialogue.

There are two types of dialogue, for all intents in purposes: Dialogue followed by non-dialogue and non-dialogue followed by dialogue. For example:

"Hi," he said.

He said, "Hi."

To begin, we'll start with the first kind. If the dialogue would've ended with a period, replace that with a comma, and continue the non-dialogue. Make sure that the first word after the dialogue is not capitalized. Also, make sure all punctuation that relates to the dialogue goes inside of the quotes. See above for an example.

For the second type, put the comma right after the last non-dialogue word. The first word in the dialogue (unless it's a continuation of a sentence that was interrupted by a non-dialogue piece) should be capitalized. Again, see above for an example.

For exclamation points and question marks (in regards to the first type), you do not need a comma. Here's a final, comprehensive example that sums everything up:

He said, "Hi," with enthusiasm.