Dialogue and Dialogue Tags

[Guest Rumpelstiltskin]

Dialogue and Tags

*Notes: for the sake of writing what I know, all rules will be presented using American English grammar, punctuation, and spelling rules. If you would like, please feel free to present some examples of using different grammar or punctuation rules in the comments below (ex. UK English differences).

I. A Bit of Definition: Dialogue and dialogue tags, simplified:

 

• What is Dialogue?
  • Essentially, dialogue is the term used to describe characters speaking (eg. a conversation).
    • Example:
      • "Hey, Moony," said Sirius.
      • "What do you want, Sirius?" Remus asked.
  • Dialogue is an action, meaning it typically is easier and faster to read than description.
  • Dialogue can reveal important information about plot, mood, setting, and, especially, characterization.
• What is a Dialogue Tag?
  • A dialogue tag is an action clause appearing before, between, or after dialogue indicative of who is speaking and sometimes indicative of the mood or purpose of the dialogue.
    • Example:
      • Sirius said, "Hey, Moony!"
      • "What do you want, Sirius?" Remus asked.
      • "Can you help me with this," he whined, "if I promise to stop bugging you for the rest of the day?"

II. A Few Dialogue Rules:

• The words spoken should be surrounded by quotation marks (" "):
  • "Do your own homework!" Remus pointedly turned away from the other boy.
  • If we think of spoken words as underwear and quotation marks as jeans, then we can deduce that underwear is worn inside your jeans.
• Punctuation (see more in +A Brief Guide to Punctuation ):
  • Commas and periods should always be placed inside the quotation marks.
    • "If you stayed awake during class, then you could do your own work," Remus said.
  • Exclamation marks (!) and question marks (?) should be placed inside the quotation marks if it punctuates the quotation but outside the quotation marks if it punctuations the main sentence.
    • James shouted, "Today is the day Evans is going to start dating me!"
    • Did she actually say the words, "I'm going to start dating Potter, today"?
• Begin a new paragraph whenever a different person is speaking.
  • "But History of Magic is so boring!"
    Remus sighed, refusing to look up from his book. "I'm inclined to think the whole class knows your stance on History, given your remarkable aptitude for sleeping through every lesson."
    "Because it's so boring!"
• Begin a new paragraph when switching focus to a new character or new element that isn't directly related to the character speaking beforehand. You don't necessarily have to change paragraphs when including narrative in the same paragraph, so long as its relative to the speaker and situation.
  • "I find History of Magic to be really interesting," Remus said.
    Sirius frowned.
  • "I find History of Magic to be really interesting," Remus said. He sighed when Sirius frowned and attempted to refocus on his textbook.
• In the case of interrupted dialogue (by means of a tag or another action), only place the quotation marks around the spoken narrative.
  • "I don't see why you can't help me," Sirius said, pulling the book away from Remus, "seeing as you're doing the assignment right now!"
• A couple more rules concerning interrupted dialogue (because interrupted dialogue is my favorite).
  • If you're interrupting a bit of dialogue with a tag or action, place a comma at the end of the incompleted dialogue, insert your tag or action followed up by another comma, and begin the new quotation without a capital (ONLY if the sentence hasn't ended.)
    • "Why is nobody listening to me," James said, "this is epic news!"
  • If you're interrupting a bit of dialogue with a tag or action, place a comma or other appropriate punctuation (a question or exclamation mark) at the end of the completed dialogue, insert your tag or action followed by a period, and begin the new quotation with a capital (ONLY if the sentence has ended).
    • "That isn't news," said Peter. "You always say that today is the day Evans will date you.
  • You can also use an em-dash (— ) to properly punctuate interrupted dialogue or dialogue that abruptly stops.
    • "You're all a bunch of prats—"
    • "Would you all be quiet"—Remus's voice rose significantly in volume, subsequently silencing the beginning of a squabble— "so that I can finish this assignment?"
• In the event that multiple paragraphs of dialogue are used by the same speaker without interruption, omit the quotation at the end of the paragraph and start the new paragraph with a mark of quotation.
  • Sirius swung his arm around Remus' shoulders, broadly grinning.  "Let me tell you a story, Moony. Once upon a time, there was a little wolf who spent entirely too much of his time studying. All of his friends wanted to play, instead, but the little wolf refused to stop studying no matter how much they bothered him. The friends tried everything! They tried to get him to play games with them, ask him his opinion on relationships, and even tried to ask for his help with their own studying, but the little wolf refused them all.
    
    "One day while the little wolf was studying and all of his friends were out enjoying the sunshine, the books decided to turn on the wolf and ate him all up."  Sirius looked pointedly at Remus. "Ate him all up, Moony."
     

III. A Few Dialogue Tag Rules (that haven't been covered above):

• In the event of a tag being presented before the dialogue, the tag is more likely to be noticed by the reader. End the tag with a comma and proceed into the quoted dialogue (whose first letter should be capitalized).
  • Remus said, "You're an idiot."
• In the event of a tag being presented after the dialogue, the tag more likely to blend into the dialogue. The dialogue should end with appropriate punctuation (inside the quotation marks) and the tag should not begin with a capital unless it is a proper noun. You will end the tag with another form of appropriate punctuation.
  • "That's why you love me," said Sirius.
  • "Is it?" Remus asked.
• Guidelines for using a tag in between dialogue has been discussed above under "interrupted dialogue".
• You do not have to use dialogue tags for every single instance someone is speaking. If it is clear who is speaking or the mood you're trying to convey is evident, then you may omit dialogue tags at your discretion.
  • "It is, indeed," Sirius said.
  • James snorted loudly from his chair across the room.  "Why don't you two just kiss and get it over with, already?"
  • "How 'bout it, Moony?"
  • "Um, no thank you. I think I'd rather study."
• There is a huge debate on what terms to use while tagging your dialogue. Some people believe that said and asked should be used most often and other verbs (ex. shouted, cried, etc.) should be only sparingly used. Some people believe in the "said is dead" rule, where they enjoy using those alternative verbs over said. Some people believe that adverbs for that action should be avoided for the most part (ex. loudly said, shouted angrily, etc.). Some people believe that tags should be used as minimally as possible. 
  • You're the writer; choose what best suits your writing style.

 

Feel free to discuss and/or add anything concerning dialogue or dialogue tags below (especially if I've neglected to cover anything you feel should be covered).