6.4 dialogue tags

UNIT 6.4Memoirs: Exploring Personal Challenges

Dialogue Tags

What is a dialogue tag?

Also often referred to as an attribution, a dialogue tag is a small phrase either before, after, or in between the actual dialogue itself.

For example: “Did you get my letter?” asked Katie. The phrase “asked Katie” is the dialogue tag in the sentence.

How To Use Dialogue Tags

Dialogue tags are found in three different places: before, after, or in the middle of dialogue. Depending on where the dialogue tags are, you use different punctuation and capitalization.

How To Use Dialogue TagsTag Before the Dialogue How it works:Use a comma after the dialogue tag.If the dialogue is the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first

letter.End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation (period,

exclamation point, or question mark), but keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.


Tag Before the DialogueWhen dialogue tags are before the dialogue it looks like this:Meghan asked, “Are you coming to my party?”


Tag After the DialogueWhen dialogue tags are used after the dialogue it looks like this:“Are you coming to my party?” Meghan asked.Or “Are you coming to my party?” asked Meghan.


Tag After the Dialogue How it works:Punctuation still goes INSIDE quotation marks.Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper

noun, it is not capitalized.End the dialogue tag with appropriate

punctuation.


Tag in the Middle of the DialogueWhen dialogue tags are used in the middle of dialogue it looks like this:“The car lights,” she explained, “aren’t bright enough to drive at night.”


Tag in the Middle of the Dialogue How it works:A comma is used before the dialogue tag and

goes INSIDE quotation marks.Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper

noun, it is not capitalized.

How To Use Dialogue TagsTag in the Middle of the Dialogue How it works:A comma is used after the dialogue tag, OUTSIDE

of quotation marks, to reintroduce the dialogue.End the dialogue with the appropriate

punctuation (period, exclamation point, or question mark), but keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.

Synonyms for ‘’Said’’

6.4 dialogue tags

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