It's beyond important that a story has quotations with correct punctuation. Readers will quickly notice the punctuation errors around quotations. Some readers skim over the quotations in a story before reading the story, to determine whether the story has mistakes in grammar. This can prevent your story from even being read. So why would you not use the proper punctuation?
When a character speaks, this is called dialogue. After the dialogue, there is always a natural pause. That pause is shown by a comma. It gives the reader a reference point. All punctuation goes in between the quotation marks. There is always a space before the first quotation mark and after the last.
When identifying the speaker; the letter following the quotation is never capitalized, unless it is a proper noun. Ending a section of dialogue without a period or comma, is poor punctuation. You can also identify the speaker before the quotation. Both ways are shown here:
- "I will now speak from the book of Genesis," the pastor said.
- A woman yelled, "My baby is trapped in the cupboard."
When changing speakers in the dialogue, you must end the paragraph right on the spot. This keeps the reader from becoming confused, or simply getting lost. Example:
- “I don't know if they're ever coming back.”
- “Maybe that's a good thing,” said the salesman.
From here, you can continue the paragraph onward, or start a new paragraph. Quotation marks can be used to “split sentences” in a couple different ways. Here is an example of each.
- Quoting a term used by another during narrative:
- The plan was to meet at “the subway station” shortly after midnight.
- Quoting a term used by another during dialogue:
- “Are you really qualified for the position, considering you only have 'four months experience' sir?”
A few more examples of ways to use quotation marks.
Starting the dialogue in the middle of a sentence, using a comma. Capitalize the first word:
- As the figure examined the premises the home-owner yelled, “I'm calling the cops.”
Identifying the speaker in the middle of a quotation:
- "It has been a rough season," said the coach, "let's all go out for pizza."
Question marks. Never capitalize the letter following the quotation:
- "Where are we going?" he asked.
Exclamation points are the same:
- "Far and wide, beyond the eyes can see!" said the beggar.