What is the correct punctuation rule for a speaker tag in dialogue, such as 'she said'?

What is the correct punctuation rule for a speaker tag in dialogue, such as 'she said'?

• A. Place punctuation inside the quotation marks and use a comma before the tag if the dialogue continues.
• B. Place punctuation inside the quotation marks and use a semicolon before the tag.
• C. Place punctuation outside the quotation marks and no comma before the tag.
• D. Put a period after the tag only.

Answer: (A)

End punctuation for spoken dialogue sits inside the quotation marks. When the sentence continues after the speaker tag, you introduce a comma before the tag to show the thought or speech is not finished, and then you can resume with more dialogue in quotes. For example: “I can’t wait,” she said, “to begin.” This keeps the exact words bounded by the quotation marks, makes the attribution clear, and shows that the sentence extends beyond the tag. A semicolon before the tag isn’t used to connect dialogue to a speaker, and placing punctuation outside the quotation marks or ending with only a period after the tag would misplace the end of the spoken words.

End punctuation for spoken dialogue sits inside the quotation marks. When the sentence continues after the speaker tag, you introduce a comma before the tag to show the thought or speech is not finished, and then you can resume with more dialogue in quotes. For example: “I can’t wait,” she said, “to begin.” This keeps the exact words bounded by the quotation marks, makes the attribution clear, and shows that the sentence extends beyond the tag. A semicolon before the tag isn’t used to connect dialogue to a speaker, and placing punctuation outside the quotation marks or ending with only a period after the tag would misplace the end of the spoken words.