When it comes to writing dialogue, one of the most overlooked yet fundamental elements is the dialogue tag. These are the little phrases that let the reader know who’s speaking, your basic he said, she said, and their many cousins. While often invisible to readers, dialogue tags can shape the rhythm and style of your writing. Used well, they become nearly imperceptible; used poorly, they bog down pacing.

Why Eliminate Tags When Readers Ignore Them?

There’s a common theory that simple tags like he said and she said are so familiar to readers, they fade into the background. I find that’s mostly true. These standard tags don’t add much flavor, but they also don’t seem to distract.

Still, the way you use or avoid tags can have a real impact on the density of your writing, or, in other words, how much meaning you pack into a small space. This is something I always aim for: cleaner, leaner writing that communicates more with fewer words. Tagging is an ideal place to apply that principle.

Reducing Tags with Context Clues

When only two characters are speaking, it’s often possible to eliminate tags entirely. If the rhythm is clear and the personalities distinct, readers can follow without constant reminders. That said, tags still serve a purpose, especially when a line could reasonably belong to either character. Clarity is king, always keep that in mind (don’t worry, I’ll mention that again because it’s that important).

Sometimes, you can imply who’s speaking with a line of action or description before the dialogue:

Example:

Maria leaned over the counter, squinting at the receipt. “This isn’t what I ordered.”

No need to write Maria said, we know it’s her. You can do this after the line, too:

Example:

“This isn’t what I ordered.” Maria leaned over the counter, squinting at the receipt.

In both cases, the dialogue is anchored by the action, creating a more dynamic feel than using a tag.

When There’s More Than Two

I recall learning early on, like back when I was crafting stories on my Apple II, that scenes with three or more characters, are tricky. Tags or identifiers become a lot more important for keeping characters straight. This is where you might need to use names more frequently, and where relying solely on action or tone isn’t always enough.

Example:

“We should wait until morning,” Jenna said.
“No way. We go now,” Marcus said.
Dave shifted uneasily. “I don’t think we’re ready.”

The key is clarity. Keeping prose tight, is great, but clarity should never be sacrificed. (2nd mention)

Let the Voice Do the Work

A well-drawn character can sometimes be identified just by their way of speaking. Vocabulary, rhythm, and tone can all signal who’s talking. This particularly holds true when readers are already familiar with the characters.

Example:

“Dude, you can’t possibly wear that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because it screams desperation, man.”

Even without tags, this mini-exchange might be clear if the voices are distinct—a haughty critic, a defensive teen, and a snarky best friend.

Still, this technique only works reliably when the characters are well-established and the dialogue is unmistakably in character. Otherwise, be kind to your reader and drop in a tag or cue.

Beware the Tom Swifty*

This brings us to one of the more interesting pitfalls: the Tom Swifty—a punny or awkward use of an adverb in a dialogue tag.

“I love you,” he said romantically.
“That’s a terrible idea,” she said nervously.
“We’re under attack!” he shouted loudly.

Then there’s the punny kind:

“I dropped my toothpaste,” Tom said crestfallen.

“I swallowed some food coloring,” Tom said dying inside.

“My pencil’s broken,” Tom said pointlessly.

“I’m no good at darts,” Tom said aimlessly.

“Let’s dig up the body,” Tom said gravely.

“They took out part of my brain,” Tom said absentmindedly.

Most of the time, these adverbs are redundant and often clunky. If the emotion is already clear from the dialogue or the scene, there’s no need to spell it out in the tag. Worse, it can also seem amateurish and this kind of groaner “funny” can take the reader out of the story. With that being said, Issac Asimov was known for including puns in his fiction.

Instead, convey emotion through the line itself or the character’s actions (this also touches on showing vs telling).

Better:

“I love you.” He touched her hand.

“That’s a terrible idea.” Her fingers tapped the table.

Less telling, more showing.

Efficiency Without Losing Emotion

The best dialogue tagging blends into the background, serving the story without drawing attention to itself. Use he said/she said when needed. Drop the tag entirely when you can anchor dialogue with action or voice. Avoid over-relying on adverbs (really, eliminate them altogether, if you can), and aim for clarity first and foremost (3rd mention).

As with most writing advice, these aren’t hard and fast rules but guidelines to keep in mind. The more efficiently you can convey who’s speaking, the more space you create for what matters most: why they are saying what they’re saying, and how it moves the story forward.

-James

---

*When they are done for humor alone, Tom Swifties can be rather entertaining. Check out Thomwall.com for some really fun examples of this.

** I would be remiss it I didn’t link to this song.