<p>How do you format dialogue in the college admissions essay? For example, the dialogue as follows:</p>
<p>The first day was a bit nerve-racking. I found the courage to ask someone, “Hey, what's your name?” “My name is Mary,” the woman answered with a smile. She seemed friendly and outgoing. </p>
<p>That seems fine to me. After a while, I’m not sure if you need to keep saying ‘I said’, ‘She said’. As long as it’s not straight dialogue, and there is some reflection or commentary between them, I’d say that’s alright.</p>
<p>@lovers So would it also be acceptable if I’d format it like this?:</p>
<p>The first day was a bit nerve-racking. I found the courage to ask someone,</p>
<p>“Hey, what’s your name?”
“My name is Mary,” the woman answered with smile.</p>
<p>She seemed friendly and outgoing.</p>
<p>I think that’s fine!</p>
<p>okay thanks! @lovers </p>
<p>@waldoo15 I think you can keep “She seemed friendly and outgoing” right after “…the woman answered with a smile.” In my essay, I formed a new paragraph/line with every piece of dialogue. You can have regular sentences follow a piece of dialogue, though.</p>
<p>oh really? well that makes sense. thanks @ee1025</p>
<p>No. As follows:</p>
<p>I found the courage to ask someone, “Hey, what’s your name?”</p>
<p>“My name is Mary,” the woman answered with a smile. She seemed friendly and outgoing.</p>
<p>The rule is, new paragraph when it’s a new person speaking, but (except in rare stylistically marked exceptions) not a new paragraph between the reporting of speech (e.g. “I said,” “I found the courage to ask someone”) and the actual quotation (“Hey, what’s your name?”). The commentary afterward (“She seemed friendly and outgoing”) can go in a new paragraph or not, depending on whether it’s a new idea or belongs conceptually with the preceding sentence. In this case, it seems to belong with the preceding sentence, though it’s hard to tell for sure without the entire context. (My cred: I have a degree in linguistics and have tutored and edited college-level writing professionally.)</p>
<p>Oh sorry, I missed @ee1025’s comment. What they said.</p>