Okay, so I see WAY too many different ways that people use quotations to make people speak.

For example(s):

"That's my pet caterpillar," Sophia.

"That's my pet caterpillar." Sophia said.

"That's my pet caterpillar," Sophia picked up the caterpillar.

"That's my pet caterpillar", Sophia said.

That's my pet caterpillar. Sophia said.

•••

Some people like to use different formats to make people speak because it looks nicer to them. That, I don't care about. However, some people simply don't know how to use the quotation marks right, and this chapter is here to help those people.

First off, punctuation. All punctuation goes inside the quotation marks. Always.

Example:

"That's my pet caterpillar," Sophia said.

Even if you're writing the title of a book or something, not making someone speak:

In the book, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Harry...

Second: comma, or period (or other)?

The answer is:

"That's my caterpillar," Sophia affirmed.

Comma. There should be a comma when you are adding a tag. A tag, for those who don't know, is just this: "she said," "he exclaimed," "they growled," etc.

The only exception is when your character is asking a question or exclaiming something. If you need to use a question mark or an exclamation mark, it can replace the comma.

"That's my pet caterpillar!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Is that my pet caterpillar?" Sophia asked.

A period cannot replace the comma.

For example, this is incorrect:

"That's my pet caterpillar." Sophia claimed.

What about if there isn't a tag, and it's something else?

That would be when you use a period:

"That's my pet caterpillar." Sophia walked over and picked up the caterpillar.

See, after you use quotation marks, if you add a tag, it is considered a part of the same sentence. If you don't add a tag, and you write an action instead, it is part of a different sentence, and therefore does not need a comma.

Quotations are a funky topic, so if this wasn't clear, or there is something I didn't cover, feel free to ask me questions! I'll most likely have your answer.

Have a good day/night!<3

-L