![]() ![]() Speech interrupted by an action: A line of dialogue can be interrupted by an action. that piece of chocolate cake.” or “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake. There is no space between the ellipsis and the closing quotation mark. Trailing speech: Speech that is faltering or trailing off is indicated with an ellipsis (… or. Interrupted speech: Speech that is cut off or self-interrupted is indicated with an em dash (-) that does not have spaces around it. “What did you mean by ‘that piece of chocolate cake’?” Quotes within dialogue: If dialogue is being quoted within a line of dialogue, use single quotation marks around the quoted speech. “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake.” She smiled as she said it. She smiled and said, “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake.” “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake,” she said with a smile. “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake,” she said, smiling. Note that whatever comes closest to the dialogue (a dialogue tag or an action beat) determines how it’s punctuated (with a comma or a period). “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake.” She smiled.Ĭombining dialogue tags and actions: Sometimes, writers will want to combine a dialogue tag with an action a character is doing. The action beat is its own sentence, so it should be capitalized accordingly. Again, the punctuation goes inside the quotation marks. She said, “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake.”Īction beats: Action beats are punctuated with periods (or other terminal punctuations like exclamation points or question marks). “I’d like that piece of chocolate cake,” she said. ![]() When the tag follows the dialogue, the first word of the tag is lowercase, unless it’s a proper noun. Quotation marks always go outside the punctuation, regardless of whether it’s a comma, exclamation point, or question mark. Notice the difference between the placement of quotation marks and commas when the dialogue tag comes before or after the dialogue. This is so that readers can follow the conversation because the new paragraph helps distinguish a new speaker.ĭialogue tags: Dialogue tags are punctuated with commas and double quotation marks. Paragraphs: Each speaker gets their own paragraph for their dialogue, whether it’s one line or a speech. Double quotation marks are used to denote speech. Below are the punctuation conventions that all fiction writers need to know when writing in US English. ![]() The punctuation of dialogue is standardized (except in rare cases). Many editors will say that you can’t breathe or gasp dialogue, but they’re commonly used as dialogue tags in published fiction. The words in the first part of this list (denoted by asterisks) are actions that are done with the mouth, so some writers use them as dialogue tags. People have different opinions on what can be used as a dialogue tag and what should only ever be an action beat. In a strict sense, these acts cannot be done to the speech itself. These can be gestures, movements, or facial expressions. Action beatsĪction beats show what a character is doing before, during, or after their dialogue. Where said refers to what’s communicated, spoke refers to the act of communicating itself (“She spoke in German” or “They spoke loudly”). Again, less can be more, or a stronger dialogue tag can be used instead.Ī note about spoke: The word spoke (the past tense of speak) is generally not considered a dialogue tag. Some writers feel the need to add an adverb to describe how the saying is being done (like excitedly or quickly). Therefore, said can be a great neutral choice. ![]() The purpose of a dialogue tag is to tell the reader who’s speaking, but the focus should be on what’s being said, not on the tag itself. Too many variations in dialogue tags can be distracting, though. Many people have been taught to avoid using said too often, instead encouraged to get creative with dialogue tags. Some might see its frequent use as repetitive, but most readers treat it almost as if it’s invisible. Said is by far the most common dialogue tag. Some of the most common dialogue tags are as follows: These tags should be actions that a character can perform with the speech they’re producing. Dialogue tagsĭialogue tags (or speech tags) indicate who is speaking and how the dialogue is being said. Dialogue tags and action beats both cue the reader about who is saying a line of dialogue, but they serve different functions and are punctuated differently. Today, I’m expanding on one aspect of that post by focusing on dialogue tags and action beats. In one of my first posts, I shared some tips for writing effective dialogue. ![]()
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