Dialogue Tags and Action Beats

This round we are looking at the way that we punctuate and write both dialogue tags and action beats within our writing. Initially, we need to define each of them. A dialogue tag is the small phrase at the end of dialogue that indicates who and how something was said: ‘Harry shrieked’ or ‘Hermione sighed’. Action beats also come after dialogue, however, it indicates an action that is taking place rather than indicating how something was said: ‘Ron smiled’, ‘Snape glared at Harry’.

Dialogue Tags

When you are using dialogue tags, here are some simple rules to consider:

1. Be unobtrusive.
2. Use tags when it is unclear who is speaking.
3. Avoid using adverbs (a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there )) too frequently.
4. Vary positioning of dialogue tags.

Punctuating a dialogue tag

If the tag comes before the dialogue, use a comma straight after the tag. Start the dialogue with a capital letter:

Harry said, “It’s so gloomy out.”

If the tag comes after the dialogue, end the dialogue with a comma, even if it is a full sentence. The first letter of the tag should be lowercase (unless it is a name).

“It’s so gloomy out, Ron,” he said.

“It’s so gloomy out, Ron,” Harry said.

If the tag comes during the dialogue, end the first part of the dialogue with a comma then have the tag as normal.

“It’s been like this all day,” Ron replied. “The sky’s such a weird colour, too.”

Then, if you have broken the dialogue during a sentence, rather than at the end of a sentence, use a comma after the tag and start the next piece of dialogue with a lowercase letter:

“It’s been like that all day,” Ron replied, “and the sky’s such a weird colour, too.”

Finally it is important to note that when using other forms of punctuation, such as an exclamation point or question mark, that the ‘dialogue tag’ should still be lower case:

“Is it gloomy out, Ron?” he asked.

Action Beats

1. This does not have to be an action, it could be a thought or description.
2. This could convey the way in which dialogue is spoken: If a character slams their hand on the desk, you do not need to say that they are angry, as it is evident from your action beat.
3. Even if the action beat does not add meaning, they can be a useful way to create a pause in dialogue by changing the rhythm of it subtly.
4. An Action Beat can also “ground” the reader—without any action beats characters can feel a little disembodied.

Punctuate Action Beats

Action beats are punctuated as normal, full sentences (unlike dialogue tags), so they always start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. This also affects the dialogue preceding them.

Snape walked over to the window. “It’s gloomy out.”

“It’s been like that all day.” Minerva had tried not to dwell on it, but she couldn’t quite shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. “Did you read what they were writing in the Prophet?”

When writing your Grammar School piece, pay special attention to your use of dialogue tags and action beats. Are your tags unobtrusively making clear who is speaking? Are your action beats adding variety and meaning?

If you get stuck, you might want to look at a few of your favorite books: Find a passage of dialogue and see how the author uses dialogue tags and action beats.