Conversation Punctuation

1. Exactly what the speaker says goes in quotes.

2. New speaker, new paragraph.
3. Punctuation before quotation.
4. Capitalize the first letter of a quotation and the first letter of
a sentence.
5. Use a comma to separate the quotation from the rest of the
sentence. (Sometimes use a question mark or exclamation
point, but only directly after the speaker's words).


Sample Conversation:

"I love ice cream," Andy said as he drove into McDonald's.
"Really?" asked Kendra. "I hate it! It makes me sick!" She began
rummaging in her purse, looking for change.
"How can you hate ice cream? It's the best food ever," Andy replied,
"and I could eat it all day long." He rolled down the window to make his
order at the drive thru. He grinned at Kendra, and said, "I'll have two
sundaes"
"Eww, no!"
"Just kidding. I'll have one sundae and," he paused, glancing again at
Kendra.
"And a small fries."
"And a small fries. Thanks!" He pulled forward to pay for his order.

Common Mistakes to Avoid
- putting quotes around every sentence
"This concert is great." "I love this music!" Janie screamed.
- using exclamation points after the word said.
"This concert is great. I love this music," Janie screamed!
- starting new paragraphs too frequently
If the same person is speaking and completing an action, it can take place
in the same paragraph, even if he/she stops talking and then begins
talking again.