In my previous post, I looked at what Dialogue Tags and Action Beats are and how they function differently. Take a look at that post first if you aren’t clear on their separate roles.
Punctuating dialogue tags and action beats can also be confusing. Hopefully, I can help clear things up…
Reminder: An action beat and a dialogue tag are used when writing speech in fiction. Both clarify who is speaking and can add depth to a conversation, but they function differently.
Dialogue Tags
A dialogue tag is a phrase attached to a line of dialogue to indicate who is speaking and, in some cases, how they are speaking. The tag typically contains verbs like said, asked, whispered, or shouted. A dialogue tag is part of the same sentence as the dialogue and is often punctuated with a comma.
Example of a Dialogue Tag:
- "I’m going to sit down," she said.
- "Are you finished yet?" he yelled.
Verbs of utterance: these verbs are used to describe the act of speaking. Said is the most common verb of utterance used in fiction writing. You hardly notice that it's there.
Verbs you can use:
said
asked
screamed
muttered
wheezed
groaned
whispered
shouted
murmured
There are some that you could use with caution (or with a short sentence):
huffed
sighed
grunted
hissed
sputtered
ground out / bit out
Don’t think that dialogue tags can include verbs like shuddered, grimaced or smiled. They can’t. A verb of utterance has to describe something you do to create words and sentences. You can’t speak by grimacing.
Here’s how to punctuate a dialogue tag
WRONG: “I didn’t think about that,” he frowned. - You can’t frown words.
WRONG: “I didn’t think about that,” and he frowned. - This is either a run-on sentence or a comma splice, but it’s not right!
RIGHT: “I didn’t think about that.” He frowned. - Now it is an action beat, two separate sentences.
RIGHT: “I didn’t think about that,” he said, frowning. - Adding in a verb of utterance (said) and changing frowned to a gerund (frowning) to describe the person’s expression has made this correct.
What about this example?
WRONG: “I’m not happy.” She said.
RIGHT: “I’m not happy,” she said.
By changing the full stop to a comma and the lowercase she, the sentence is right.
But what if the dialogue tag comes in the middle of the dialogue?
“I don’t know about you,” she said, “but I am leaving.”
The tag is followed and preceded by a comma, and the sentence continues with a lowercase letter.
What if the person speaking says two sentences?
“I have had enough of this,” she said. “You can stay if you want, but I’m leaving.”
The tag is preceded by a comma and followed by a full stop, and the new sentence starts with a capital letter.
Action Beats
An action beat is a separate sentence or phrase describing what a character does as they speak. It often replaces a dialogue tag by showing the character’s actions, expressions, or body language, which can add emotion, context, or mood to the conversation. Action beats stand on their own and are punctuated as a separate sentence.
Example of an Action Beat:
- "I can't do it." She crossed her arms defiantly.
- "Here they are!" He squinted into the sun, shading his eyes with one hand.
Here’s how to punctuate an action beat
What do you do if the action beat interrupts the dialogue?
“I don’t know about you”—she turned to face her friends—“but I am leaving.”
By using em dashes outside of the quotation marks, the dialogue is continuous and not stopped by the action of the character.
But what if the person speaking says two sentences?
“I have had enough of this—” She turned to face her sister. “Wait, what did you say to me?”
If the dialogue is interrupted, the em dash goes inside the quotation marks to show the break. The action beat becomes a new sentence, and the new sentence of dialogue starts with a capital letter.
I hope that this has helped to clarify how to use punctuation with action beats and dialogue tags in fiction. As I have said before, practice makes perfect—or better, at least!
Want more? You can always take a look at these past posts on Proofreading tips or Overcoming the 10 real problems that new authors face.
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