Every now and again, I come across a self-published novel where the author doesn’t know how to punctuate dialogue correctly. This can make it difficult for the reader to follow the conversation, because it’s hard to work out which character is talking.
The good news is that this is one of the easiest aspects of punctuation to fix, because there are clear guidelines:
- Start a new paragraph for each new speaker.
- Use a comma with a dialogue tag.
- Use a period with an action beat.
- Use question marks for questions.
- Use exclamation marks only when necessary.
Let’s discuss each of these guidelines.
1. Start a New Paragraph for each New Speaker
If you only remember one thing, remember this: each new speaker’s dialogue must start on a new line.
It sounds obvious, but I do sometimes see paragraphs like this:
“John, would you like a cup of tea?” Jane filled the kettle and turned it on. “I’d prefer coffee.”
That’s correct … if Jane is the only character speaking. But it seems odd that Jane would offer John tea and not coffee. The reader is likely to pause and wonder who wanted coffee—Jane or John. Using correct formatting and punctuation makes it clear who is speaking:
“John, would you like a cup of tea?” Jane filled the kettle and turned it on.
“I’d prefer coffee.”
Starting the second line of dialogue in a new paragraph makes it clear that it’s not Jane speaking.
3. 2. Use a Comma with a Dialogue Tag
The most well-known way of indicating which character is speaking is to use a dialogue tag such as said:
“Yes, I’d love a cup of tea,” John said.
Many writers don’t like using “said” for their speaker attributions—they say it gets boring. That might be true, but “said” is considered invisible to readers (although it often stands out in audiobooks).
Authors might be tempted to use creative alternatives to “said.” But these alternatives are often telling where the author should be showing:
“I’m sorry,” Jane apologised.
Yes, I’ve seen that. Instead, keep dialogue tags simple. Stick with:
- Said
- Asked
- Shouted
- Whispered
Obviously, you’ll only use “asked” for questions, and will restrict other tags to when the character is actually shouting or whispering.
Rather than overusing “said”, use action beats. Action beats show, rather than telling.
Instead, authors can avoid “said” by using action beats.
3. Use a Period with an Action Beat
There are several kinds of action beat, and they all use a period rather than a comma:
- Action beat
- Dialogue cue
- Body language
- Interior monologue
All use a period rather than a comma.
Action Beat
Action beats are small actions performed by the speaker, and used to both identify the speaker and provide the reader with an image to help them visualize the scene. For example:
“I don’t know.” Jane shrugged.
Shrugging is an action, so uses a period.
Sometimes people confuse dialogue tags with action beats, especially when sounds are involved. For example:
“I don’t know,” Jane laughed.
Laughing is an action, so this paragraph should use a period rather than a comma:
“I don’t know.” Jane laughed.
If you don’t believe me, try laughing and talking at the same time. It usually sounds false, or deranged. Other commonly misused action beats include:
- Smiled
- Shrugged
- Nodded
Action beats follow the dialogue in the same paragraph, which means they are an effective way of showing who is speaking:
“Would you like a cookie with your coffee?” Jane placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table.
This action beat makes it clear that Jane is the speaker. If the action beat was on a different line, it would imply one character spoke, and another performed the action:
“I’m sorry.”
Jane placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table.
The issue here is that we don’t know who spoke—only that it wasn’t Anne. We still need to identify who apologised.
Dialogue Cue
Dialogue cues tell us something about the way the character is speaking, and it’s a way of sharing subtext:
“I’m sorry.” Jane’s voice was low and deep, and she reinforced her words with crossed arms and a scowl.
As you can see, we can also add body language to reinforce the image.
Body Language
Body language is a movement or physical reaction observed by the point of view character. Body language can be used to suggest emotion in other characters:
“I’m sorry.” Jane blushed.
The point of view character must be able to see the physical reaction. If the point of view character makes any assumptions about the speaker’s emotions, that assumption must be a logical follow-on from the body language that was observed. For example:
“I’m sorry.” Jane blushed. Poor woman. How embarrassing, inviting John over for a drink and not having any coffee in the house.
People tend to blush when they’re embarrassed, so that makes sense. This does not:
“I’m sorry.” Jane blushed. She must be annoyed with herself.
If Jane was annoyed with herself, I’d imagine she’d sigh or shake her head, not blush.
Interior Monologue
If the point of view character is speaking, then it does’t make sense to show emotion through body language or dialogue cues. Instead, use interior monologue:
“I’m sorry.” Sure, Jane was sorry. Sorry she’d invited John over.
Or we can use an action beat, with or without a beat of interior monologue:
“I’m sorry.” Jane rolled her eyes.
What we shouldn’t do is fall into the trap of telling the emotion:
“I’m sorry.” Jane felt embarrassed.
4. Use Question Marks for Questions
If a character is asking a question, use a question mark:
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Jane asked.
My preference is to use “asked” with a question, but I have also seen “said” used:
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Jane said.
Remember, questions tend to start with “W” words:
- Who
- What
- Where
- When
- Why
- Would
- How
Yes, I sometimes see question marks on sentences that aren’t questions. Small errors like this with important, as the reader will often stop reading to go back and see if they’ve missed something … and that’s not good.
You can use a question mark with a dialogue tag (as above), or with an action beat:
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Jane reached for the kettle.
5. Use Exclamation Marks only when Necessary
If a character is shouting, you can use an exclamation mark:
“Fire!” Jane shouted.
Again, you can use an exclamation mark with a dialogue tag or with an action beat:
“Fire!” Jane ran for the door.
However, don’t use too many exclamation marks—one per chapter is usually more than enough. Like adverbs, they’re easy to overuse, and using too many is often considered the sign of an inexperienced writer.
Watever you do, don’t combine an exclamation mark with a telling tag:
“The house is on fire!” Jane exclaimed.
It’s a subtle and unnecessary form of repetition.
OMG, yes, I see this, too. A lot of times, it’s because I’m reading an early draft of someone’s work, and so I have to figure out if they know the rule and just need to spend more time editing or if I need to explain the rules. Now I can just send them to this post!
I usually assume that one or two mistakes are errors. Any more, and they don’t know the rule – which is why I write posts like this 🙂
Great checklist 🙂 One I’ve come across when beta reading is commas outside the dialogue tags!
That’s always a mistake. But there are instances where commas do go outside quotation marks – but that’s when using British English, and it’s quotations, not dialogue.
I always wonder when a question is asked whether I need to add a ? at the end of the question when using asked instead of said.
“Are you hungry,” Ted asked.
“Are you hungry?” Ted asked.
I see you advise the ? and asked. That clears it up for me. Thank you!
JQ Rose
Some people don’t use the question mark, but my preference is to use it. I think it’s odd otherwise. Glad to help!
Great examples. Thanks so much.
Anna from elements of emaginette
You’re welcome! Thanks for visiting.
Great summary. There are so many people who get this wrong (me, too, at times).
I think we all make mistakes occasionally. It’s about knowing what’s correct and what is a mistake.
A great rundown here, Iola! In my editing, the vast majority of the punctuation errors I see are around dialogue.
Yes! I’ve just been sent a book for review, and there’s a punctuation error on page three. The book is by a multi-published author and it’s from a major publisher, so these errors obviously slip through.