Start a new paragraph for each speaker
Put quotation marks around spoken words
Place dialogue tags outside the quotation marks
Use a comma before a dialogue tag if the sentence continues
End the spoken sentence with a period, question mark, or exclamation point inside the quotation marks
Capitalize the first word of the spoken sentence
Use a new line when the speaker changes
Keep dialogue tags clear and simple
Use an em dash for interrupted speech
Use ellipses for trailing off speech
Keep punctuation inside the quotation marks in American English
Use single quotation marks only for quotes within dialogue if needed