What can I say instead of Said in dialogue?
Words for ‘said’ may show or suggest:
- Volume (e.g. yelled, shouted, bellowed, screamed, whispered)
- Tone or pitch (e.g. shrieked, groaned, squeaked)
- Emotion (e.g. grumbled, snapped, sneered, begged)
- Intent (e.g. suggested, asked, demanded)
What is the grammatically correct way to write dialogue?
How to Format Dialogue in a Story
- Use Quotation Marks to Indicate Spoken Word.
- Dialogue Tags Stay Outside the Quotation Marks.
- Use a Separate Sentence for Actions That Happen Before or After the Dialogue.
- Use Single Quotes When Quoting Something Within the Dialogue.
- Use a New Paragraph to Indicate a New Speaker.
What should I put instead of said?
Use Words Other than “Said”
- Whispered.
- Breathed.
- Murmured.
- Sighed.
- Purred.
- Blurted.
- Gurgled.
- Chuckled.
How do you quote something someone said?
If you quote something a character says, use double quotation marks on the outside ends of the quotation to indicate that you are quoting a portion of the text. Use single quotation marks inside the double quotation marks to indicate that someone is speaking. “‘Thou art not my child! Thou art no Pearl of mine!’
How do you avoid using said?
Only use dialogue tags every three or four lines. Use action to show who’s talking. Use dialogue to tell your reader who’s talking. Final thoughts.
Are dialogue tags necessary?
Dialogue tags are necessary because readers need to know who is speaking. Any time readers are lost and have to reread several lines of dialogue to see where they got off track, you risk losing those readers.
Does dialogue need to be indented?
Dialogue should be enclosed within quotation marks. Each new line of dialogue is indented, and a new paragraph should be started every time a new person is speaking. It should be concise. Long, wordy passages of dialogue might seem like a good way to get information across, but they can be tedious for the reader.
Do you capitalize he said after dialogue?
Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper noun, it is not capitalized. End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation (period, exclamation point, or question mark), but keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.
What are some good dialogue tags?
| List of acceptable dialogue tags (according to the aforementioned teachers) | ||
|---|---|---|
| inquired | interrupted | mumbled |
| muttered | nagged | questioned |
| remembered | replied | roared |
| sang | screamed | sighed |
What do you put after dialogue?
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.
What are the 3 rules for using quotations?
Quotation Marks
- We use quotation marks with direct quotes, with titles of certain works, to imply alternate meanings, and to write words as words.
- Block quotations are not set off with quotation marks.
- The quoted text is capitalized if you’re quoting a complete sentence and not capitalized if you’re quoting a fragment.
How do you use dialogue in a quote?
Use quotation marks to show that you are writing the exact words that someone said or wrote. “Finally.” My mother rose to her feet. “Your father is home.” Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
How do you say ‘she said’ in dialogue?
Use physical gesture and motion instead of ‘said’ Other ways to say ‘she said’ avoid dialogue tags entirely. You may draw attention to the character who has said a line by immediately following speech with that character’s actions.
Do dialogue tags go before or after the character speaks?
When it comes to formatting dialogue tags before your character speaks, it’s essentially the same as when they come after, except backward. As you can see in the example above, the dialogue tag is in front, followed by a comma outside of the quotations.
What is a good substitute for ‘said’ in dialogue?
The infographic below ( via The Puppet Show) has some good alternatives. Yet it suggests words such as ‘enunciated’ as a synonym for ‘said’. However, if you were to use this tag randomly in the middle of dialogue it would seem arbitrary.
Do you put a comma before or after the dialogue?
If the dialogue tag comes before the dialogue, the comma appears before the first quotation mark. Example: Karen explained, “There was blood everywhere.” If the dialogue ends with an exclamation point or a question mark, the tags that follow begin in lowercase.