so you can use commas in dialogue cause im a tiny bit confused

Yes. You CAN use commas in dialogue. Now, go back and listen again, and when you finish, you'll be less confused.

How do the readers know if the sentence is a question or an exclamation if you end the sentence with a comma?

Commas aren't the only punctuation used in dialogue. They're replacements for periods in dialogue, not question marks or exclamation marks. For example, look at these: "It's Superman!" someone shouted. "Who's Superman?" someone else replied.

is this sentence ungrammatical: "What is that, asked John?"

the sentence is grammatical, your punctuation is just "off". "What is that," asked John.

Why do we use commas and who created the comma?

we use commas to list things, add more information, and to make conjunctions.LOL i just made a list

Commas are a punctuation mark invented by an Italian typographer about 600 years ago. There are many lessons about them in this course. Do them all, and you'll learn a lot.

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Grammar

Course: Grammar > Unit 6

Lesson 3: More ways to use commas

Commas in dialogue

Name: Commas in dialogue
Uploaded: 2016-06-06T23:42:48Z
Description: “Today we’re going to talk about using commas in dialogue,” said David and Paige, KA’s resident grammarians.

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“Today we’re going to talk about using commas in dialogue,” said David and Paige, KA’s resident grammarians.

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Betty Carter
Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to Betty Carter's post “so you can use commas in ...”
so you can use commas in dialogue cause im a tiny bit confused
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(7 votes)
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- David Alexander
  Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “Yes. You CAN use commas i...”
  Yes. You CAN use commas in dialogue. Now, go back and listen again, and when you finish, you'll be less confused.
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  (4 votes)
Sanjana
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Sanjana's post “How do the readers know i...”
How do the readers know if the sentence is a question or an exclamation if you end the sentence with a comma?
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(3 votes)
Answer
- Courteney
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Courteney's post “Commas aren't the only pu...”
  Commas aren't the only punctuation used in dialogue. They're replacements for periods in dialogue, not question marks or exclamation marks. For example, look at these:
  
  "It's Superman!" someone shouted.
  "Who's Superman?" someone else replied.
  Comment on Courteney's post “Commas aren't the only pu...”
  (5 votes)
Olivia459
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Olivia459's post “why do we need commas and...”
why do we need commas and dialouge
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(4 votes)
Answer
- David Alexander
  Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “If we were all prisoners ...”
  If we were all prisoners in solitary confinement, we would need neither commas nor dialogue. BUT, because we are involved in social life, we need dialogue, which is "words between each other". Speech needs no commas. If we only spoke, we would not need commas. BUT, because we also write, we need commas to separate things, and to induce us to pause from time to time. I hope that helps.
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  (1 vote)
Trin
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to Trin's post “im still a little confuse...”
im still a little confused with the commas but ill try my best
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(4 votes)
Answer
joy1214
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to joy1214's post “So, when the dialogue tag...”
So, when the dialogue tag is on the starting of the sentence, will there be always a comma and when the dialogue tag is on the ending of the sentence, will there be always a period instead of a comma?
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(2 votes)
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djgamer
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to djgamer's post “why do you need a quotati...”
why do you need a quotation marks before a sentence and the end of the sentence how come it cant be just a period
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(3 votes)
Answer
- The Enigma
  Posted 2 months ago. Direct link to The Enigma's post “Because we wouldn't be ab...”
  Because we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between someone in book or article speaking or the author just making a statement.
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  (1 vote)
Michael Mansfield(DeltaProgramming)
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Michael Mansfield(DeltaProgramming)'s post “is this sentence ungramma...”
is this sentence ungrammatical: "What is that, asked John?"
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(2 votes)
Answer
- David Alexander
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “the sentence is grammatic...”
  the sentence is grammatical, your punctuation is just "off".
  
  "What is that," asked John.
  Comment on David Alexander's post “the sentence is grammatic...”
  (3 votes)
rsharm537
Posted 22 days ago. Direct link to rsharm537's post “What are commas”
What are commas
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(1 vote)
Answer
- David Alexander
  Posted 22 days ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “Commas are a punctuation ...”
  Commas are a punctuation mark invented by an Italian typographer about 600 years ago. There are many lessons about them in this course. Do them all, and you'll learn a lot.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (5 votes)
ANTHONY C
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to ANTHONY C's post “Can the two examples abov...”
Can the two examples above be parsed the same way as the dependent/independent and independent/independent clauses?
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(3 votes)
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↫↫ ⒷⓡⓐⓨⒷⓡⓐⓨ ↬↬
Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to ↫↫ ⒷⓡⓐⓨⒷⓡⓐⓨ ↬↬'s post “Why do we use commas and ...”
Why do we use commas and who created the comma?
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(2 votes)
Answer
- Rylan_Is_Cool
  Posted 3 months ago. Direct link to Rylan_Is_Cool's post “we use commas to list thi...”
  we use commas to list things, add more information, and to make conjunctions.LOL i just made a list
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  (2 votes)

Video transcript

- [Voiceover] Hello, Grammarians, and hello, Paige. - [Voiceover] Hi, David. - [Voiceover] So, we're gonna talk about using commas in dialogue. So I've got these two sentences here that I have removed all the punctuation from because I recognize that figuring out where to put commas when you are reporting someone else's speech, you know, for a newspaper article or a piece of fiction or whatever it is, can be quite confusing. And so here's basically what you need to know is that commas in dialogue essentially function as runways. It can ramp you up to get going for an utterance and take you down and land. Paige, would you read me this sentence? - [Voiceover] "Guillermo said, I have no idea "where I put that moonstone." - [Voiceover] So, we're starting into this sentence, and we're gonna use this comma as a ramp to divide between the utterance and what's called the dialogue tag. "So Guillermo said," comma, "I have no idea where I put that moonstone." This is the end of his utterance. We're gonna put a period here. However, sentence number two-- - [Voiceover] "They're probably pirates, "Roxane said." - [Voiceover] So here, since we're putting the dialogue tag after the reported speech, this were otherwise going to be a period. We're gonna put a comma here. "They're probably pirates," comma, "Roxane said," period. And why is this? It's because we're trying to separate between the reported speech and the dialogue tag itself. So, in the event that this were a question, however, you would use a question mark or if it were an exclamation, you would use an exclamation point, but if it were going to just be a period, you wouldn't do this. You wouldn't say, "They're probably pirates," period, "Roxane said." You would say, "They're probably pirates," comma, "Roxane said." - [Voiceover] Yeah. - [Voiceover] I know that's kinda confusing. But that is the style that we abide by in English. - [Voiceover] Right, so as you said, comma with dialogue is pretty much acting as a runway. - [Voiceover] Okay. - [Voiceover] So with the first sentence, "Guillermo said," comma, and then-- - [Voiceover] So just kinda like, take off-- - [Voiceover] Right, you're getting like, ramped up into the dialogue, and then with the second one, it's like the plane is landing, and, "They're probably pirates," and then the dialogue ends. - [Voiceover] Cool. - [Voiceover] But there has to be a comma in there to end it. - [Voiceover] So if the statement were going to end with a period, we'd use a comma in reported dialogue when the tag follows the reported speech. - [Voiceover] That's right. - [Voiceover] Otherwise, we'd use all the other relevant punctuation marks. - [Voiceover] Yeah. - [Voiceover] Okay, cool. So this is like the only time ever when you can end a sentence with a comma. - [Voiceover] Yeah, pretty much. - [Voiceover] Woah, that's awesome. - [Voiceover] Yeah. - [Voiceover] So that's how you use commas in dialogue. You can learn anything. David out. - [Voiceover] Paige out.