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Quizzes > English & Grammar

Dialogue Quiz: Punctuating Questions in Conversation

Quick, free quiz on punctuation for dialogue. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Espen GerhardsenUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Coral background with layered paper speech bubbles showing question marks and punctuation marks, quiz theme

This quiz helps you master punctuating dialogue with question marks, commas, and quotation marks. Build confidence as you fix lines of speech, then broaden your practice with a punctuation quiz, try a grammar and punctuation quiz, or apply it as you choose the correctly punctuated sentence.

In the sentence "Are you coming with us?" asked John, where should the closing quotation mark go in relation to the question mark?
Before the question mark
Outside both the question mark and the comma
After the question mark
Inside single quotation marks
When a speaker's words form a question, the question mark belongs inside the closing quotation marks. Only one punctuation mark is used, and it replaces the comma before a dialogue tag. For more guidance, see .
Which of the following sentences correctly punctuates a question within dialogue?
"What time is it?" he inquired.
"What time is it," he inquired?
"What time is it?", he inquired.
"What time is it;" he inquired.
When dialogue ends in a question, the question mark goes inside the quotes and replaces the comma before the tag. The dialogue tag itself is not punctuated with a comma. See .
When a dialogue question ends a sentence, which punctuation mark replaces the comma before the dialogue tag?
A question mark
An exclamation point
A period
A semicolon
If the spoken words form a question, the comma before the dialogue tag is replaced by a question mark inside the quotation marks. This signals both the end of the quoted question and the connection to the tag. See .
Identify the correctly punctuated dialogue question:
"Can we leave now," she asked?
"Can we leave now," she asked.
"Can we leave now?" she asked?
"Can we leave now?" she asked.
Because the speaker is asking a question, the question mark goes inside the closing quotation marks and no additional punctuation is used before the tag. The dialogue tag is capitalized only if it begins a sentence. For details, see .
Which of the following is correctly punctuated?
"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously?
"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously!?
"Are you okay?", she asked anxiously.
"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.
The question mark goes inside the quotes and replaces the comma. The dialogue tag remains unpunctuated except for the period at the end, if the tag ends the sentence. See .
Where does the question mark go in this sentence: He asked, "Who broke the vase"?
After a comma within the quotes
Outside the closing quotation mark
Before the opening quotation mark
Inside the closing quotation mark
Since the speaker's words form a question, the question mark belongs inside the closing quotation mark. No other punctuation is added. For more on this rule, see .
Which of the following correctly punctuates a simple dialogue question followed by a tag?
"Excuse me," he asked?
"Excuse me?" he asked?
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Excuse me." he asked?
When the dialogue is a question, use a question mark inside the quotes and no extra punctuation before the dialogue tag. The tag is introduced with lowercase unless it begins a sentence. See .
Choose the correctly punctuated dialogue when a question is immediately followed by an independent descriptive sentence rather than a tag.
"Who left the door open?" He looked around the room.
"Who left the door open?" he looked around the room.
"Who left the door open?" he looked around the room?
"Who left the door open? He looked around the room."
Since the second clause is an independent action and not a dialogue tag, it begins a new sentence with a capital letter. The question mark ends the first sentence inside the quotes. See .
When a question in dialogue is split by a tag in the middle, which punctuation is correct?
"Can you," she said hesitantly, "help me move this table?"
"Can you?" she said hesitantly, "help me move this table?"
"Can you" she said hesitantly "help me move this table?"
"Can you," she said hesitantly, "help me move this table."
When you interrupt a question with a dialogue tag, use commas around the tag and place the question mark only at the end of the quoted question. For details, see .
Which sentence correctly punctuates a question introduced after a descriptive phrase with a comma?
She whispered "Do you trust me?"
She whispered, "Do you trust me"
She whispered: "Do you trust me?"
She whispered, "Do you trust me?"
When a dialogue tag precedes speech, use a comma after the tag before the quotation. The question mark goes inside the quotation marks. See .
Which of these correctly punctuates a question that follows a descriptive phrase introduced by a comma and colon misuse?
She exclaimed: before asking the question, "How could you let this happen?"
She exclaimed before asking the question, "How could you let this happen?"
She exclaimed before asking the question: "How could you let this happen?"
She exclaimed, before asking the question "How could you let this happen?"
Use a comma to introduce spoken words after a verb of speaking; a colon is reserved for formal lists or extended quotations. The question mark stays inside the quotation marks. See .
Which sentence correctly punctuates a dialogue question followed by an exclamatory tag?
"Why did you do that?", he shouted.
"Why did you do that?!" he shouted.
"Why did you do that!"? he shouted.
"Why did you do that?" he shouted!
An interrobang can be expressed as "!?" inside the quotes if you want both the exclamation and question emphasis. No additional comma is needed. See .
Identify the correct punctuation for this dialogue: The interviewer asked, "Who is your greatest influence?"
The interviewer asked; "Who is your greatest influence?"
The interviewer asked "Who is your greatest influence?"
The interviewer asked, "Who is your greatest influence?"
The interviewer asked, "Who is your greatest influence?".
When a dialogue tag is followed by a direct question, you keep the comma after the tag, place the question mark inside the quotes, and omit any period outside. See .
Which of the following correctly punctuates a question split by a dialogue beat?
"Can you," she paused, "help me?,"
"Can you" she paused "help me?"
"Can you," she paused, "help me?"
"Can you?" she paused, "help me."
When a speaker's words are split by a narrative beat, use commas around the beat and place the question mark only at the end of the spoken question. For more, see .
Which sentence correctly punctuates this nested dialogue question?
She asked, "Did he really shout 'Who goes there?'?"
She asked, "Did he really shout 'Who goes there?'''
She asked, "Did he really shout 'Who goes there?'''?"
She asked "Did he really shout 'Who goes there?'?"
When an inner quotation is a question and the entire sentence is also a question, you keep the question mark inside the single quotes for the inner question and follow it with another question mark inside the double quotes. See .
Which sentence correctly punctuates a dialogue question followed by a parenthetical note?
"Are you coming?" he asked silently.)
"Are you coming?" (he asked silently.)
"Are you coming?" (he asked silently)
"Are you coming?" (He asked silently).
The question mark stays inside the quotes. Because the parenthetical is a complete sentence, its period goes inside the parentheses. For more detail, see .
Which sentence correctly punctuates an unfinished question in dialogue with an ellipsis?
"What did you say...?" she asked.
"What did you say?…" she asked.
"What did you say…?" she asked.
"What did you say…" she asked?
Chicago style recommends placing the ellipsis first, followed by the question mark inside the quotation marks for an unfinished question. See .
How would you punctuate this sentence if it begins with a negative question tag and ends with a quote?
Didn't he ask, "Are you okay?"
Didn't he ask, "Are you okay?"?
Didn't he ask "Are you okay?"?
Didn't he ask "Are you okay?"
Only one question mark is needed at the end of the quotation. You do not add a second question mark after the closing quotation mark. See .
Which is correctly punctuated when a question is interrupted by an action using em dashes?
"Why - ," she gasped, "would you do that?"
"Why - " she gasped, "would you do that?"
"Why," she gasped - "would you do that?"
"Why - " she gasped "would you do that?"
Em dashes indicate a sharp break in speech. You place commas around the dialogue tag and the question mark at the end of the question. For guidance, see .
How do you correctly punctuate two consecutive questions in dialogue with no intervening tag?
"Did you see it? Did you recognize him?" she asked?
"Did you see it, did you recognize him?" she asked.
"Did you see it? did you recognize him?" she asked.
"Did you see it? Did you recognize him?" she asked.
When two questions occur in succession, each ends with its own question mark inside the quotes. The dialogue tag follows the complete quoted material. See .
Which sentence uses punctuation correctly when introducing dialogue with a question after a colon?
John asked: "How did you solve the puzzle?"
John asked: "How did you solve the puzzle?".
John asked, "How did you solve the puzzle?"
John asked; "How did you solve the puzzle?"
A colon can introduce a quotation when the preceding clause is independent. The question mark remains inside the quotes and no period is added after the closing quotation mark. See .
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, how many consecutive question marks should appear if both the quoted material and the surrounding sentence are questions?
It depends on context
One
Three
Two
Chicago style dictates that only a single question mark is used even when both the quoted material and the surrounding sentence are questions. The mark is placed inside the closing quotation marks. See .
When a question mark is part of the original quoted text, and the entire sentence ends there, which punctuation is correct?
Use an ellipsis after the question mark
Use a question mark inside the quotes and add a period outside
End with only the question mark inside the quotes
Replace the question mark with a period
Style guides agree that you should not add an extra period after a closing quotation mark when the quote ends with a question mark. The question mark alone suffices. See .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand punctuation in dialogue with questions -

    Learn how to place question marks, commas, and quotation marks correctly when writing dialogue that contains questions.

  2. Identify correct dialogue punctuation -

    Recognize proper formatting for interrogative sentences in dialogue and distinguish them from standard punctuation rules.

  3. Apply dialogue punctuation rules -

    Practice punctuating dialogue with questions accurately to improve clarity and flow in your writing.

  4. Differentiate comma and question mark usage -

    Distinguish when to end spoken questions with a comma versus a question mark inside quotation marks.

  5. Correct common errors in dialogue punctuation -

    Spot typical mistakes in dialogue with questions and revise sentences for proper punctuation.

  6. Evaluate complex dialogue exchanges -

    Assess multi-speaker conversations with embedded questions to ensure consistent and accurate punctuation.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Question Mark Inside the Quotes -

    When a character asks something, place the question mark inside the closing quotation mark: "Are you coming?" This follows standard dialogue punctuation rules found in university writing centers (e.g., Purdue OWL). Remember: if the quoted speech is a question, the ? stays inside the quotes every time.

  2. Dialogue Tag After a Question -

    After a question in dialogue, use a question mark, then continue with a lowercase tag: "What time is it?" he asked. Unlike commas with statements, you never replace the question mark with a comma here. Think "? + lowercase" to keep your dialogue flow smooth.

  3. Interrupting a Question Mid-Sentence -

    When a tag interrupts a question, wrap the tag with commas and keep the ? at the end: "Are you," she wondered, "going to join us later?" The question mark remains at the very end of the full question, even if it spans multiple parts. A handy mnemonic: "Comma, tag, comma - complete the question mark!"

  4. Combining ? and ! for Emphasis -

    If your dialogue mixes surprise and inquiry, use both marks inside the quotes: "You did what?!" he exclaimed. This "interrobang duo" conveys shock plus a question, a trick endorsed by style guides like Chicago Manual of Style. It's a fun way to sharpen your dialogue punctuation skills.

  5. Direct vs. Indirect Questions -

    A direct question in quotes needs a question mark: "Can I help?" An indirect question doesn't: She asked if she could help. Recognizing this difference is crucial for how to punctuate dialogue accurately and avoids common mistakes on writing quizzes.

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