Narrative and Exposition (Part 6)

Dialogue

Punctuation: Where to place the punctuation in dialogue can be confusing. The commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. Example: He said, “Please wait for me before you serve dinner.” I’m coming home early tonight,” she said.

 Question marks and exclamation points go inside if they are part of the dialogue and outside if they are part of the entire sentence. Example: Why did I keep hearing over and over in my head the words, “I’ll never forget you”?  Before he said good-bye, he asked, “Will I ever forget you?”

This ends the six-part series on “The Use of Narrative and Exposition.” I hope this series helps you make your stories more exciting.