Punctuation with Dialogue #1

● The simplest rule is to separate the dialogue tag (“he said”) from the dialogue with a comma:
Joe said, “Let me in.”
“Let me in,” said Joe.

● Complete sentences that go before or after dialogue get a period as normal:
She nodded. “I know.”
“I almost killed you.” Her voice was sharp.
These sentences are not actual dialogue tags but function like them.

● You can combine these types:
“I’m hungry,” I said. “I’d like some more.”

● If you want to interrupt a sentence of dialogue with a sentence of prose, use em-dashes outside the quotes:
“I would like you to know”—he stood up—“that I am not left-handed.”
Even though the action is a complete sentence by itself, it is part of a sentence that includes dialogue, so it isn’t capitalized.