I learned about dialogue tags when I was in school. I can’t remember the exact grade I was in, but it seems as though I have always known what they were and how to use them in the right way. When they are not used right, what you are reading becomes confusing.
Never fear. If you are confused about what dialogue tags are and how to use them, they are simple to learn. Ready?
What are dialogue tags?
Dialogue tags are the words that come after what someone has spoken that identify who was doing the speaking. Example? “I am going to the store,” Miriam said. In that sentence, Miriam is speaking to someone. She is telling whoever is listening that she is ready to go to the store. How do we know that Miriam is the one who is speaking? The dialogue tag tells us so. It identifies Miriam as the one who spoke. It is also connected to the dialogue and separated only by a comma, the closing quotation marks, and a space.
I have read several books that were really good, but the authors didn’t have a clear understanding of how to take advantage of this needed technique that is commonly used to identify the speaker. When used incorrectly in the way I have seen it done, the dialogue tag would be made into its own sentence. The above example sentence would have been written: “I am going to the store.” Miriam said. That is wrong. “Miriam said” does qualify as a sentence because it has a noun and a verb, but when it follows a portion of dialogue that Miriam has spoken, it needs to be attached to the dialogue.
What if the dialogue is broken into two parts? The dialogue tag is then placed between the two pieces of dialogue. Example? “I am going to the store,” Miriam said, “before I come home from work.” Notice, commas and quotation marks are used to separate the dialogue tag from the rest of the sentence. Also, when the dialogue begins again, the first letter of it is not capitalized because the word is not a proper noun.
Besides identifying the speaker, dialogue tags also keep the reader from becoming confused or losing interest in the story. They make long sections of dialogue easier to digest. They break down the tension and give the reader a chance to breathe. And for the writer, they provide the opportunity to insert some action or description.
All of us mess up at times with dialogue tags, especially in our rough drafts. When you do the rewrites is when you want to correct these and other mistakes you might have made.
A dialogue tag isn’t always necessary. The above example sentence could have been written in a different way. Miriam pulled her jacket out of the closet. She put it on and walked across the living room to the door. “I am going to the store before I come home from work.” Even though no dialogue tag has been used, it is clear who spoke.
A list of dialogue tags
Some people prefer to use dialogue tags other than said and asked. There are many other words that can be used. Said and asked are just the most common. Be sure the dialogue tag you decide to use fits what you are writing.
A
acknowledged, added, admitted, advised, affirmed, agreed, announced, answered, argued, asserted, assured, asked
B
babbled, barked, bargained, bawled, begged, bellowed, blurted, blustered, boasted, bragged
C
called, chimed, choked out, claimed, commanded, commented, complained, concurred, confessed, continued, contributed, cried, croaked, crooned, crowed
D
declared, demanded, denied, dictated, drawled
E
emphasized, exclaimed, explained, expressed
G
groaned, growled, grumbled, grunted
H
hinted, howled
I
implied, implored, inquired, insisted, instructed, interjected, interrupted
J
jabbered, joshed, justified
M
mentioned, mimicked, moaned, mocked, mumbled, murmured, mused
N
nagged, noted
O
objected, offered, ordered
P
pleaded, prayed, preached, proclaimed, promised, pronounced, proposed, protested
Q
queried, questioned, quipped
R
ranted, reassured, remarked, repeated, replied, requested, responded, restated, retorted, roared
S
said, sang, screamed, shouted, shrieked, sniveled, sobbed, sputtered, stammered, stated, stuttered, suggested, swore
T
taunted, teased, though, told
U
urged, uttered
V
vented, verified, vocalized, voiced, vowed
Y
yawped, yelled, yelped
Recommended Article: How to Write Believable Dialogue
