This is more of a question that I'd like other writers to weigh in on, concerning dialogue and the usage of commas, question marks, capitalizing and periods.
Is the question mark used like this:
“Where is it?" He asked excitedly.
or this:
"Where is it", he asked excitedly.
[note no question mark on the second example and 'He' is capitalized in one and not the other. Also the comma is outside the quotation marks on the second, (see below example)]
Also the usage of the comma; is it like this:
"It's about time", he exclaimed giddily.
[note also the comma is outside the quotation marks]
or this:
"It's about time," he said giddily, "that we head out."
[note this version connects two dialogue parts unlike the first. 'He' is thus lower case 'he']
I believe in your first situation; "Where is it?" He asked excitedly. The question mark is inside the quotation marks because the dialog is a question.
In the second situation it should be like this; "It's about time." He exclaimed giddily. If you reversed how it was expressed you would use a comma, like this; He exclaimed giddily, "It's about time."
I am not an expert, but I do it this way and the grammar police have not thrown me in jail yet.
You can't get there from here, because when you get there you're still here and here is now there. Your first example with the question inside is correct. The second example should have the comma inside the quotes. That is what I have seen and found in several reference books I have online for just that purpose.
I just keep hopping from place to place.
I never stay too long.
I just keep moving singing a song.
So you better stop me if you want to chat.
Or you will never know where I am at.
Attribution that interrupts a dialogue sentence is treated as a non-essential clause, and so is set off by commas.
Maggie.. can you punctuate this one for me?
that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is
)
