Punctuating Dialogue

1.  Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation--a person's exact words.  A direct quote begins with a capital letter.
                   "I was only foolin, George.  I don't want no ketchup."

2.     A direct quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma if the speaker is announcing it (incomplete sentence).
          “Yeah, they get mean.  They get so they don’t wanna talk to nobody,” Slim said.

          

3.     If a quotation appears at the beginning of a sentence, a comma follows it before quotation marks. 
      "Ain't a thing in my pocket," Lennie said cleverly.

4.    If a quotation falls at the end of a sentence, a comma comes before it, before quotation marks. 
            Lennie droned to himself softly, "I ain't gonna say a thing.  I ain't gonna say a thing."

5.   If a quoted sentence is interrupted, a comma follows the first part and comes before the second part.

           “Lennie,” George began, “is a big fella but he don’t mean no harm.”

6.   If a sentence introduces the speaker and is complete, use a period.

              Lennie giggled happily.  "I didn't forget that, you bet."
       George held out his hand.  "Come on, give it to me."

7.   A period or a comma is always placed inside the closing quotation marks.
        “I was only foolin, George.  I don't want no ketchup."

           "Ain't a thing in my pocket," Lennie said cleverly.

8.     A question mark, ellipses (…), or an exclamation point is placed inside the closing quotation marks when the quotation itself is a question or exclamation.  Otherwise, the question mark or exclamation point is placed outside.
          "What'd you take outta that pocket?"

9.    When you write dialogue, begin a new paragraph each time you change speakers. Indent.
   "Sure I can, George.  Hide in the brush till you come."
   "But you aint' gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won't let you tend no rabbits."

10.                       Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
   “Says here ‘positively eliminates scourges.’ What kinda bedding you giving us anyway?”