Blog for Bristol Services Intl.

Dialog tags are phrases like he said, she asked or Joe commented that help show who spoke a sentence of dialog and, sometimes it also indicates how it was said. It’s easy to figure if you want Mary said or David asked. But often writers get confused on how to set punctuation around these phrases. Usually these phrases are tagged on to the dialog (hence the name ‘tag’) with a comma. However, sometimes the rules get tricky. I think examples are the best way to explain it.

Tag precedes the dialog.
Rules: A comma connects the tag to the dialog. The tag, as well as the dialog, starts with a capital letter.
Example: He said, “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things and that concerns me.”

Tag concludes the dialog.
Rules: If the dialog on its own would end in a period, that period is replaced by a comma, which acts to connect it to the tag. The tag does NOT start with a capital (unless the tag starts with a proper name–ah, the tricky stuff starts already!)
Example: “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things and that concerns me,” he said.
Example: “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things and that concerns me,” Joe said.

Tag used in the middle of the dialog.
Rules: A comma connects the first part of the dialog to the tag and another comma connects the tag to the rest of the dialog. The tag does NOT start with a capital , unless, of course, the tag starts with a proper name. Quotation marks are used on both sections of the interrupted dialog.
Example: “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things,” he said, “and that concerns me.”
Example: “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things,” Joe said, “and that concerns me.”

TRICKIER STUFF:

Questions and Exclamations:
Rules: If the dialog sentence would normally end in a question mark or an exclamation point, you do NOT substitute them for a comma. You may need to change the verb from said to an alternative that fits better. All the other rules apply.
Example: “Does the doctor really believe Judy is seeing things?” he asked.
Example: “Judy is seeing things!” he shouted.

Action Included in Tag:
Rule: A tag may include some action which becomes part of the tag.
Example: “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things,” he said as he dropped the letter on the table, “and that concerns me.”

GOING TAGLESS:

Actions that imply a speaker–eliminating a need for a tag.
Rules: There is no need for a “said” if a sentence of action already implies who will be speaking. Use the proper punctuation for each sentence as it stands.
Example: Joe read the note then turned to Emily. “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things and that concerns me.”
Example: “The doctor is afraid Judy is seeing things.” Joe dropped the letter on the table then turned to Emily. “That concerns me.”

Okay, now you have the rules and examples. Consider yourself tagged!