: Re: Punctuation in direct speech with multiple sentences The information I found on using punctuation marks in direct speech did not address doing so with multiple sentences. For example, I want to

When punctuating direct dialog, you should not care about how many sentences there are. You always treat the start of the first sentence and the end of the last sentence the same way - regardless of whether they are the same sentence, or 3 paragraphs apart - based on whether they are linked to dialog and/or action tags.
As such, you should end the sentence "I am sorry" with a comma, not a full stop, if it is going to be followed by "replied the student".
However, the dialog from your student currently feels rather stilted or hesitant - making an excuse, and then adding little bits to it as the teacher continues to look unimpressed. If this was not the intent, then I would recommend joining the second sentence to either the first or third with a comma, for flow. If it was the intent, then consider moving the dialog tags inside the speech to emphasise it and make it more obviously deliberate:

'I came at 8.55 AM,' the student replied, hesitating. 'But no one was in the class room. Hence, I went to a coffee shop to buy a coffee for myself. By the time I reached the class room, it was already 9.30 AM. I am sorry.'

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: Re: Punctuation in direct speech with multiple sentences The information I found on using punctuation marks in direct speech did not address doing so with multiple sentences. For example, I want to

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: How to cite the paper I'm writing? APA style I'm writing a paper on a theme that has a lot of research. To define a concept, I use the definitions of several writers, all properly cited.

: Is the often used black and white symbolism inherently racist? It is an extremely common trope that white/light means good and dark/black means bad/evil. I thought that - contrary to the appearances

: How can I write a hand-to-hand combat scene that is not too brief or detailed? When I describe hand-to-hand combat, I include EVERYTHING that's going on, EVERY action and motion the characters

: Can you occasionally transition from the close third person to a first person thought? I'm writing a novel in the close third person POV. I want to shift occasionally into first person thought,

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