Dialogue and Quotation Marks — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. She crossed her arms . "That's not fair!"
An action beat is its own sentence, so it ends with a period rather than a comma.
2. "Come here . I want to show you something cool," Ben whispered.
Two complete sentences within one character's speech are separated by a period.
3. "Look," Pria pointed at the sky . "a shooting star!"
Because pointed is an action, not a speaking verb, it forms its own sentence.
4. Ravi laughed. "That's the funniest thing I've heard," he said.
The new quoted sentence after a period begins with a capital letter.
5. "I don't know," he sighed , "maybe tomorrow."
When the tag verb behaves like said, use commas to mark a split sentence.
6. She tapped her pencil . "Why is this so hard?"
Action beats are independent sentences and end with periods.
7. "Quiet," the librarian said firmly. "People are reading."
A new quoted sentence after a period takes a capital letter at the start.
8. "Hurry up," Mom called , "the bus is here."
Speaking-style verbs use commas to interrupt a continuing quoted sentence.
9. He shook his head . "That can't be right."
Action beats stand as separate sentences and end with a period before dialogue.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Worried parent
→ "Where have you been all day?"
"Where have you been all day?"
Excited child
→ "I caught a huge fish!"
"I caught a huge fish!"
Stern coach
→ "Run another lap, no excuses."
"Run another lap, no excuses."
Curious scientist
→ "Why does this reaction glow blue?"
"Why does this reaction glow blue?"
Vocabulary, tone, and topic reveal which character is most likely the speaker.