Resources

Dialogue Tags vs. Action Beats

DIALOGUE TAGS

Dialogue tags identify the speaker with a “speech” verb such as say, ask, yell, exclaim, whisper, mutter. You can also use verbs that are “speech sounds” such as moan, groan, cry, grunt, croak (though these should be used sparingly).

The following is a quick guide for punctuating dialogue with dialogue tags.

When the tag comes before the dialogue, use a comma immediately after the tag. Start the dialogue with a capital letter, like this:

Mr. Jones said, “It’s a beautiful morning.”

He whispered, “It’s a beautiful morning.”

When the tag comes after the dialogue, conclude the dialogue with a comma, even if it’s a full sentence. (A question mark, exclamation point, or other punctuation can take the place of the comma.) The first letter of the tag should be lowercase, unless it’s a proper name.

“It’s so beautiful outside,” he said.

“It’s so beautiful outside,” Henry whispered.

“It’s so beautiful outside!” he exclaimed.

“Can you believe how beautiful it is outside?” he asked.

“Can you believe how beautiful it is outside?” Mr. Jones asked.

When the tag comes during the dialogue, end the first part of the dialogue with a comma (or other form of punctuation), then have the tag as normal.

If you’ve broken the dialogue during a sentence, rather than at the end of a sentence, use a comma after the tag and start the next piece of dialogue with a lowercase letter, like this:

“So blue,” Mary said, “and not a cloud in the sky.”

“So blue,” she said, “and not a cloud in the sky.”

“So blue,” she whispered, “and not a cloud in the sky.”

If you use a full stop after the tag, then you’ll start the next portion of dialogue with a capital.

“The sky is so blue and cloudless,” Mary said. “Do you know the forecast for tomorrow?”

“The sky is so blue and cloudless,” she said gleefully. “Do you know the forecast for tomorrow?”

“The sky is so blue and cloudless!” she exclaimed. “Do you know the forecast for tomorrow?”

ACTION BEATS

Action beats are another way to show who is speaking the dialogue. Action beats don’t have to be “action” at all; they can be internal thoughts or facial expressions. Generally, action beats add more visual or emotional depth than basic dialogue tags.

The following are some examples for using action beats with dialogue:

“The sky is so blue and cloudless.” Mary tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and let the sunshine bathe her skin with its warmth. “I hope it’s like this again tomorrow.”

“I love this weather!” She tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and let the sunshine bathe her skin with its warmth. “I hope it’s like this again tomorrow.”

“Can you believe this weather?” She threw her hands in the air, then danced around in a small circle. “I hope it’s like this every day!”

“I’m not a fan of this weather.” She flipped the middle finger at the sky before stomping into the house.

“I’ve only been outside five minutes and I’m already sweating.” When would this infernal heat end? She might have to move to Iceland if the weather didn’t change soon. It’s always cold there, right? “Ugh. Let’s go inside and have a cold drink.”