It never ceases to amaze me that many new to writing do not get to grips with writing dialogue. I remember at school, when I wrote 'O' level English, we were all a bit wary of using dialogue because of the punctuation.
The easiest way to get around these problems is to take a modern novel off the bookshelf and see how a bestselling pro goes about it. Study a page, read it aloud, see how dialogue is used to define character and take the plot forward. See how action can be incorporated. Then, get behind your own keyboard and do the same.