Dialogue tags

[lady_aubrey]

I have a question about punctuating dialogue. Which is appropriate?

"Josh is the most beautiful man in Europe," Sarah spoke up.

OR

"Josh is the most beautiful man in Europe." Sarah spoke up. (though this might go before the dialogue)

For this question, I'm not looking for a general response, but one specific to the use of "spoke up" (rather than said, whispered, shouted, etc.) Also, I'd appreciate an explanation for why "spoke up" is different from the others (if it is), or why it's not (if it isn't).

[Anglika]

Originally Posted by lady_aubrey

I have a question about punctuating dialogue. Which is appropriate?

"Josh is the most beautiful man in Europe," Sarah spoke up.

OR

"Josh is the most beautiful man in Europe." Sarah spoke up. (though this might go before the dialogue)

For this question, I'm not looking for a general response, but one specific to the use of "spoke up" (rather than said, whispered, shouted, etc.) Also, I'd appreciate an explanation for why "spoke up" is different from the others (if it is), or why it's not (if it isn't).

If you use the full stop, it indicates that someone else said the sentence, after which Sarah spoke up.Using the comma shows that it is Sarah who is saying this.

I see no difference between "spoke up" and any of the other words you have listed - they all should be preceded by a comma at the end of the spoken dialogue.