The narrator announces the words the character said in quotes, and then tells us the character is smiling. The smile is another thought the narrator is having. This is something that they’re doing independently of the words they’re saying. In the last two examples, we get actions from the characters. It’s part of the same thought from the narrator. The words ‘said’ and ‘yelled’ are dependent on the words the character is saying here. They’re talking strictly about the voice of the character. ‘Said’ and ‘yelled’ both convey how the words are being said. You may have noticed from the examples that the first two sentences contain a word that describes the vocals of the dialogue. Let’s talk about why that isn’t the case. Some people may be inclined to say the word ‘smiled’ here is a dialogue tag. “Honey!” She came in through the front door. There is no dialogue tag in the sentence:
Let’s also take a look at what is not a dialogue tag. So, what are dialogue tags? They’re the part of the quotation that states something is being said. Let’s chat about everything you need to know about dialogue tags. Learning the correct way to use dialogue tags will not only add another tool to your writer’s toolbox, but your work will read as professional, authoritative writing does. If you’re using dialogue tags wrong, you’re stunting your growth as a writer. Dialogue tags are commonly misused with young writers, and can often be a crutch for you to lean on.
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