Thread by @BookwormBlues

Folks, I've been running across this issue in a lot of edits recently so I'm going to touch on a grammar thing that "everybody already knows" because I can 100% guarantee not everyone does. Also, sometimes a refresher course is nice.

Let's talk about DIALOGUE TAGS.
#amediting

DIALOGUE TAGS include a "speaker verb" so, "Et tu, brute," Julius Caesar *said*.

ACTION BEATS are something a character does. "I need to call my guardian angel." Jane *picked up the phone.*

A DIALOGUE TAG is generally preceded by a comma.

ACTION BEATS are preceded by a period.

If the dialogue tag precedes the line of dialogue, use a comma before the opening quotation mark.

Example: He smiled at the hellhound and said, "What a good boy."

If a line of dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag, use a comma before the closing quotation mark. If the first word of the dialogue tag is a pronoun such as he or she, lowercase it. If it's a name, capitalize it.

“I am a witch,” she said.
"I am a witch," Sally said.

If a line of dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag but the dialogue ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, leave the punctuation in, but treat the dialogue tag the same, so:

“Stop!” she shouted.
“Isn't that the wizard's orb?” she asked.

If the dialogue tag is in the middle of a sentence, use a comma before the first closing quotation mark and after the dialogue tag. Lowercase the dialogue tag.

Example: “I wouldn’t have forgotten to open the gates to Hell,” she said, “if you had reminded me in time.”

If the dialogue tag follows a complete sentence and the character continues speaking after the tag, use a period after the dialogue tag.

Example: “I can't make an effigy," she said. "I need more crepe paper."

Unlike dialogue tags, ACTION BEATS are always separated from the dialogue by periods.

Verbs such as smiled, grinned, laughed, etc., are action beats, not dialogue tags. Don't use commas to separate them from a line of dialogue.

Basically, if your character speaks and then DOES SOMETHING, that's generally an action beat. Whereas if your character speaks and then we get a SPEAKING VERB, like "he/she/they said", then that's a dialogue tag.

Figuring out which is which involves asking yourself which kind of verb you're using right after the dialogue tag.

Doing verb = action beat
Speaking verb = dialogue tag

Action beats are separated from the dialogue using periods. So...

Correct: “This is weird.” She squinted down at her steak. “Does Hell have a tropical climate?”

Incorrect: “This is weird,” she squinted down at her steak. “Does Hell have a tropical climate?”

The end.🧵

And yeah, there is room for em dashes and stuff in dialogue tags, a lot of grammar rules can change depending on specific cases, but here's the basics. Sometimes I think it's worth addressing them as a refresher.