WWF Writing Tips

Dialogue vs. Action Tags

Writing Tips No.2: Dialogue vs. Action Tags

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🎯Dialogue tags is the small phrase either before, after, or in between the actual dialogue itself. 

Oftentimes, it is called - dependent clause.  A dependent clause is an incomplete sentence which cannot stand alone syntactically. 

BEFORE

✒ Asuna asked, "Are you coming to my house, Kirito?"

✒ Nagtanong si Asuna, "Pupunta ka ba sa aking bahay, Kirito?"

RULES:
✔ Used comma after the dialogue tags.

✔ If the dialogue is the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first letter.

✔ End the dialogue with appropriate punctuation.  Keep it inside the quotation marks.

AFTER

✒ "Are you coming to my house, Kirito?" Asuna asked / asked Asuna.

✒ "Pupunta ka ba sa aking bahay, Kirito?" tanong ni Asuna.

RULES:
✔Punctuation still goes inside the quotation marks (" ").

✔Unless the dialogue tags begins with a proper noun, it is not capitalized.

✔End with proper punctuation.

IN THE MIDDLE

✒ "The car lights," she explained, "aren't bright enough to drive at night."

✒ "Ang ilaw ng kotse," paliwanag niya, "ay hindi gaanong maliwanag para magmaneho sa gabi."

RULES:
✔ A comma is used before the dialogue tags and goes inside ghe quotation marks.

✔ Unless the dialogue tags begins with a proper noun  it is NOT capitalized.

✔ A comma is used after the dialogue tags, outside of the quotation marks  to reintroduce the dialogue.

[In the example above, you will notice the comma after the words explained  and niya]

✔ End the dialogue with appropriate punctuation but keep it inside the quotation marks.

MORE EXAMPLES OF DIALOGUE TAGS:

✒ "Inaantok na ako," sabi ni You.

✒ "Sure, you should sleep now," replied  Seth, "so, you will have a wet dream about us." 

✒ "Huwag ka munang matulog, You!" sigaw ni Rainiel.

✒ "Let her sleep!" Jaizz exclaimed, jealousy is evident in her tone.

✒ Eira hissed and requested in annoyed voice, "Wet Link and BMRSS characters, will you please get out of my mind right now so, I can sleep!"

✒ "Opo, Kamahalan," sabay-sabay na sagot nina You, Seth, Rainiel at Jaizz.

🎯ACTION TAGS

By the word itself, it defines action.  An independent clause - it can stand alone. (It's crystal clear, isn't it?)

EXAMPLES:

✒ "Really, Uglyfes, she missed me?"  The little girl stood-up her bed, and excitedly grabbed her cousin's cellphone.

✒  "Ate Eira, I miss you, too."  Phoena disappointedly sat down, as her friend, Eira is not currently online.

✒ "Buti pa siya na-miss mo, ako hindi?"  Nagtatampong lumabas ng  silid si Keiff.

✒ Tumatakbong palapit si JX sa ate niya.  "Ate Kate, wait for me!"

✒ The corner of Kate's reddish lips pulled back in a sneer. "Run after me!"

RULES:

✔ You will notice that the highlighted and italicized words denotes action.

✔ Use proper punctuation marks to end the dialogue, i.e. a question mark, exclamation or period.  Never a comma.  It should be inside the quotation marks.

✔ Whether the actions tags begins with proper noun or not, it should always be capitalized, as it is an independent clause.

SOURCES:

1. http://Writing.ie

2. Manwal ng Masinop na Pagsusulat

3.  Credit to TruthSlappers, I adopted the definition of dependent clause in their critique book: We Slap You.

❣Sana po makatulong!

Eiramana325
Ignoranteng Otor