How to Use Dialogue Tags: 5 Tips for Formatting Dialogue

In American English, a dialogue tag is a phrase that precedes, breaks up, or follows a bit of written dialogue and establishes who the speaker is, how they are delivering the dialogue, and whether or not a new speaker is talking.

For example: “I hate this restaurant. Let’s go to that Italian place we all like,” whined Katy.

In the above example, “whined Katy” is the dialogue tag.

Many people make mistakes when formatting and punctuating dialog tags, but consistency and familiarity with dialogue formatting conventions are essential to proficient fiction writing. Dialogue tags can be at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the sentence, and each scenario has different rules regarding punctuation and capitalization. Follow these examples to learn how to punctuate dialogue when using dialogue tags:

1. 1. Place dialogue tags at the beginning of a sentence. When placing dialogue tags at the beginning of complete sentences, a comma should come after the dialogue tag. If the dialogue comes at the start of a new sentence, the first word of the sentence should have a capital letter. Finally, when it comes to dialogue punctuation, ensure that punctuation marks at the end of the dialogue remain inside the double quotation marks. This holds true whether it’s a period, em dash, full stop, or exclamation mark. Dialogue example: Pat exclaimed, “High school English teachers love it when I interrupt them!”
2. 2. Place dialogue tags in the middle of a sentence. If you decide to place a dialogue tag in the middle of a line of dialogue, a comma should be used before the dialogue tag inside the closing quotation mark of the first fragment of actual dialogue; the second comma should be placed after the dialogue tag but outside of the opening quotation marks of the next dialogue section. The dialogue tag should begin with a lowercase letter unless it’s a proper noun. Dialogue example: “Let’s go away,” she whispered, “forever.”
3. 3. Place dialogue tags at the end of a sentence. When using dialogue tags at the end of a sentence, the punctuation (such as an exclamation point, question mark, or ellipsis) still goes inside the quotation marks. The dialogue tag should not be capitalized unless it’s a proper noun. Dialogue example: “Are you sure this is real life?” Lindsay asked.

Writing dialogue requires a good deal of information be communicated to keep your reader’s attention and help them understand who is saying what. At the bare minimum, proper use of dialogue tags keeps your reader from getting too disoriented or confused. Here are some writing tips to help you write effective dialogue tags, as well as some common mistakes to avoid:

1. 1. Use dialogue tags sparingly. Dialogue tags help the reader know which character is speaking and are particularly useful when a new character enters a conversation. However, dialogue tags are not always necessary. If you’re writing a scene in which two characters are saying short lines of dialogue to each other, dialogue tags are probably not needed after the first time they’re used. You can simply indent and use quotation marks when a new person is speaking. When the speaker changes, the audience can infer who is speaking from the subtext of the dialogue. For instance, if one of your characters is prone to long speeches, you can write many new paragraphs of dialogue without needing to interrupt with a dialogue tag. The overuse of dialogue tags can become distracting to the reader.
2. 2. Embrace the word “said.” When people think of dialogue tags, the first word they probably think of is “said.” There are two points of view when it comes to using the word “said” in your dialogue tags. Some writers feel that using “he said” and “she said” ad infinitum is lazy writing and that you should vary your word choice with more descriptive, specific words. Other writers feel that “said” should be embraced, since its ordinariness helps it blend into the background and therefore guarantees that the reader won’t be distracted by an overly elaborate word. The sweet spot is probably somewhere in the middle—it’s fine to use descriptive substitutes such as “bellowed,” “chortled,” or “guffawed,” as long as you do so in moderation. Just don’t underestimate the simplicity of “said.”
3. 3. Action beats can be great substitutes for dialogue tags. If you find yourself getting repetitive when it comes to your use of dialogue tags, try having the character do something instead. By describing a certain character’s actions or body language, you can indicate to the reader that the subsequent spoken words in the new line or next paragraph belong to that character. This is a great way to make your novel or short story more active and rely less on repetitive dialogue tags.
4. 4. Mix it up with indirect dialogue. Most dialogue is direct dialogue, meaning that we’re reading a direct quote spoken by the character, which is enclosed in double quotes. Indirect dialogue, on the other hand, is more like a summary. Rather than repeating the spoken sentence or part of the sentence verbatim, the author will give the gist of what the character said. Authors use this when it’s necessary to convey information about what was said, but not exactly how it was said. This can be a useful way of avoiding the over-use of dialogue tags, since indirect dialogue doesn’t require them.
5. 5. Dialogue tags can be used to express internal thoughts. Dialogue tags aren’t just for spoken dialogue—they can also be useful to express the internal thoughts and desires of your characters. When it comes to writing a character’s thoughts, some writers prefer to use italics, while others prefer dialogue tags without the use of italics. The use of italics tends to add a layer of narrative distance between the character and what’s actually happening in the scene. Your format will depend on your writing style as well as whether you’re writing in first-person or third-person point of view.

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