Dialogue tag

A dialogue tag is the short attribution attached to a line of speech, such as 'she said' or 'he asked', whose only job is to tell the reader who is talking.

In "I'm leaving," she said, the words she said are the dialogue tag. That is all a tag is: a short attribution, usually a name or pronoun plus a speaking verb, that tells the reader who is talking. Its job is to be useful and then get out of the way.

Dialogue tag punctuation

The rules follow from one idea: a tag is part of the same sentence as the speech it belongs to. So it joins the dialogue with a comma, not a full stop, and it does not start with a capital letter unless it is a name.

1. Tag after the speech. Comma inside the closing quotation mark, tag in lowercase: "I'm leaving," she said.
2. A question or exclamation. Keep the question mark or exclamation mark, add no comma, and the tag stays lowercase: "Are you leaving?" she asked.
3. Tag before the speech. Comma after the tag, capital letter to start the quote: She said, "I'm leaving."
4. Tag in the middle of one sentence. Commas on both sides, and the speech picks up in lowercase: "I'm leaving," she said, "and I'm taking the dog."
5. Tag between two sentences. Full stop after the tag, capital letter to restart: "I'm leaving," she said. "Don't wait up."
6. Names keep their capitals. "I'm leaving," Maya said. Both Maya said and said Maya are fine; said she sounds old-fashioned.

Many British publishers use single quotation marks ('I'm leaving,' she said). The comma and capital rules are the same either way. Pick one style and record it on your style sheet.

Said and its alternatives

Said is nearly invisible. Readers skim past it the way they skim past punctuation, which is exactly what makes it the right word almost every time. Asked does the same job for questions.

The elaborate substitutes (expostulated, chuckled, hissed, ejaculated) draw attention to themselves and usually repeat what the line already carried. Editors sometimes call them said-bookisms. A few alternatives earn their place because they add something the words cannot: whispered and shouted give volume, muttered tells us the other character may not have heard. If the verb only restates the emotion in the line, go back to said.

An adverb in a tag usually marks a line that is not doing its own work. If she said angrily is necessary, the dialogue has not shown the anger, and the fix is in the dialogue.

Action beats instead of tags

An action beat is a sentence of action placed next to the dialogue. It identifies the speaker the same way a tag does, and it adds a gesture, a movement or a piece of the setting.

"I'm leaving." She picked up her keys.

She picked up her keys. "I'm leaving."

"I'm leaving." She picked up her keys. "Don't wait up."

Why it works: the keys tell us she means it. A beat can carry the subtext a tag would otherwise have to explain.

The punctuation is the key difference. A beat is its own sentence, so it takes a full stop and a capital letter. That is why "Fine," she shrugged is wrong: you cannot shrug, laugh, smile or nod a sentence. Written correctly, "Fine." She shrugged.

When to leave the tag out

In a conversation between two people, once the reader knows who is who, the lines can run bare:

"Did you lock the back door?"

"Twice."

"And the window?"

"Go to sleep, Dan."

Put a tag or a beat back in every few lines, and always when a third person speaks or the exchange runs long enough that a reader might lose count.

Common mistakes

• A non-speaking verb as a tag. "Fine," she shrugged. Make it a beat: "Fine." She shrugged.
• A full stop before the tag. "I'm leaving." she said. Use a comma.
• A capital on the tag. "I'm leaving," She said. Lowercase unless it is a name.
• The tag arrives too late. In a long speech, put the tag at the first natural pause, so the reader knows who is talking before the second sentence.
• A tag and a beat doing the same job. "Stop," she said, holding up her hand to stop him. Keep one.
• A pronoun that could mean either person. If two women are talking, she said can point at both. Use the name.

In a screenplay there are no tags: the character name above each line does the job, and a short parenthetical such as (quietly) covers delivery. In prose, tag punctuation is one of the most common fixes in a copy edit, and the choice between tag, beat and nothing belongs to a line edit.

Frequently asked questions

What is a dialog tag?

Dialog tag is a variant spelling of dialogue tag, more common in American usage. Both mean the few words, such as 'she said', that tell the reader who spoke a line.

What is the difference between a dialogue tag and an action beat?

A tag uses a speaking verb, such as said, asked or whispered, and joins the dialogue with a comma. An action beat is a separate sentence about what a character does, and it ends with a full stop. Both can show who is talking.

Can I write 'she smiled' as a dialogue tag?

Not as a tag, because smiling is not a way of speaking. Make it its own sentence instead: 'That's fine.' She smiled. It is now an action beat, which is punctuated with a full stop.

Should I only use said?

Mostly. Said and asked disappear as the reader goes, which is what a tag should do. Use another verb when it tells the reader something the line cannot, such as whispered or shouted, and leave the tag out when it is already clear who is speaking.

Do you need a dialogue tag on every line?

No. In a two-person exchange, tag the first lines so the reader knows who is who, then let the dialogue run. Add a tag or a beat every few lines, or whenever a reader could lose track.