Dialogue and Quotation Marks — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. "I think," she said , "we should leave now."
Both ends of the inserted tag get commas because the quoted sentence continues afterward.
2. "Stop right there," he warned , "or you will be sorry!"
A continuing quoted sentence resumes after a comma following the speaker tag.
3. "That's the answer," Maya said. "I checked it twice."
After a period in the dialogue tag, the next quoted sentence begins with a capital.
4. She frowned. "Why would he do that?" she muttered.
Action beats stand alone as sentences, so the following quoted line begins fresh with a capital.
5. "Wait a minute . I lost my keys again," Dad groaned.
A period separates the two complete sentences inside a single character's speech.
6. "It's late," Jen yawned , "and I'm tired."
The split-dialogue tag uses commas on both sides because the original sentence is unbroken.
7. Carlos slammed the door. "I'm done with this!" he shouted.
Each new quoted sentence starts with a capital letter, even after an action beat.
8. "Listen carefully," Mr. Park began. "This will be on the test."
The continuing dialogue completes the teacher's instruction logically.
9. "I forgot," she admitted , "my homework is at home."
Split dialogue uses a comma after the tag verb to resume the original quoted sentence.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
The teacher
→ "Pages 40 to 50 are due Friday."
"Pages 40 to 50 are due Friday."
The toddler
→ "I want juice now!"
"I want juice now!"
The coach
→ "Run faster around the cones!"
"Run faster around the cones!"
The librarian
→ "Please whisper near the books."
"Please whisper near the books."
Word choice, tone, and content reveal who is most likely speaking each line.