Which punctuation mark should be used to offset speech tags ( dialogue sentence) in a quotation

Answer 1

When offsetting speech tags in a dialogue sentence, you generally use a comma before the closing quotation marks. Here’s how it works:

1. If the dialogue is a complete sentence, use a comma to separate it from the speech tag:

   • Example: "I can't believe it's already October," she said.

2. If the dialogue ends with a question mark or exclamation point, that punctuation mark replaces the comma:

   • Example: "Are you coming to the party?" he asked.
   • Example: "Watch out!" she shouted.

In all cases, the speech tag begins with a lowercase letter unless it's a proper noun.