What is Dialogue?

A dialogue can be on any topic – a very simple talk about a daily chore, a serious talk about a
social or medical problem, a discussion about what has to be done for an event and so on. The
only point that you should remember is that a dialogue isn’t just any conversation but a
conversation between two people specifically.

The Collins Dictionary defines the term ‘dialogue’ as “a conversation between two people in a
book, film, or play”. Transcribing a dialogue in writing or presenting a conversation in text is
referred to as dialogue writing.

Dialogue is the text that represents the spoken words. Dialogue expresses exactly what a
character is saying. In contrast, a narrator might paraphrase or describe a character’s thoughts or
speech. In writing, dialogue shows a character speaking. It works to tell you more about the
character and how they converse with others or react.

Types of Dialogues

Dialogues can be classified into two main types namely,

Inner Dialogue

Outer Dialogue

Inner Dialogue

The term ‘inner dialogue’ refers to the individual character’s thoughts which are not spoken
aloud; in other words, said to anyone else. They can be something a character is thinking as the
other character is speaking and their thoughts about what is going on or what the other character
is doing. These inner dialogues are not placed within quotation marks.

Outer Dialogue

As the name suggests, ‘outer dialogues’ are thoughts that are spoken aloud. They refer to
everything the two characters involved in the dialogue say to each other. Outer dialogues are
usually placed with quotation marks.

Basic Format and Structure of a Dialogue

 The first thing you have to do before you write a dialogue is to decide who the characters
are.
 You should also have a clear idea of the plot of the story, or in general, the context of the
dialogue.
 Dialogues can be just a sentence, two or three lines or even a short paragraph. Whatever
be the case, always remember that each character’s dialogue, no matter how short or
long, has to be written on the next line. In other words, no two dialogues should appear
on the same line. Also see to it that you indent each dialogue.
 If the dialogues are one-liners, you can write them one after the other. On the contrary, if
each of your characters are speaking in chunks (short or long paragraphs), it is mandatory
that you show the difference by using an optimum line spacing.
 Be very careful with the tense used in the dialogue.
 It is better to skip the small talk (including greetings) and start off with the point of
discussion unless the small talk is crucial to setting the mood of the conversation.

Punctuation

In every form of writing, punctuation is an important factor that makes it sensible. In the same
manner, dialogue writing also would not make any sense without proper punctuation. Learn how
to punctuate dialogues by going through the following points.

 The first rule would be adding a colon after the name of the character to indicate that the
particular character is the one speaking at the moment. Sometimes, a hyphen is used
instead of a colon.
 The name of the character should always start with a capital letter as it is a proper noun.
Sometimes, you will have characters such as villagers, student 1, student 2, etc. In these
cases also, you will have to use a capital letter.
 Dialogues are to be placed within quotation marks.
 If you are including a character’s dialogue in another character’s dialogue, it has to be
placed within single quotation marks. For example: “Don’t you think Rakesh saying ‘I
will take the lead’ has some hidden agenda?”
 Also remember that any punctuation mark corresponding to the dialogue should always
be placed within double quotation marks. For instance, if the dialogue is an interrogative
sentence, the question mark has to come first marking the end of the sentence followed
by the double quotation marks marking the end of the dialogue.
For example: “Are you coming with us?” he asked.
 A dialogue can be separated using dialogue tags like ‘he said’ to attribute the dialogue to
a speaker.
 When you insert the tag in the middle of the dialogue, make sure you close the quotation
marks before the tag. The tag is preceded and followed by a comma. When you open
quotation marks to continue the dialogue, see to it that you use a small letter to begin with
if it is the continuation of the dialogue, and close the quotation marks once the dialogue is
complete.
For example: “Do you know”, he shouted to everyone, “who the new manager
is?”
 If the dialogue tag is positioned in the beginning of the sentence, see to it that you start it
with a capital letter as you are starting a new sentence. Place a comma after the dialogue
tag followed by open quotation marks, the dialogue starting with a capital letter followed
by the punctuation mark of the quote and close quotation marks.
For example: John mumbled, “Nobody understands the main problem here.”
 A dialogue tag can also appear at the end of the sentence. In this case, the quotation
comes first. Once you punctuate the quote and close the quotation marks, place the
dialogue tag. Note that the dialogue tag is not capitalized.
For example: “Are you coming with us?” he asked.
 If a character’s dialogue is being interrupted by another character, use a dash (em dash) to
indicate the interference.
For example: “I was wondering –”
“Are you ready to go?”
  Actions and body language of characters can be described in sentences and they can
appear in between dialogues.
For example: “I am not interested.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But, I will do it
just for you.”

Use dialogue tags

A dialogue tag is the part of a sentence that indicates who is speaking. Common examples of
dialogue tags include:

He said

She replied

I asked

They yelled

Use dialogue tags to differentiate who's speaking at different points in the dialogue. While you
don't need to use a dialogue tag each time a new person speaks, it's helpful to include them
whenever there's a change of tone or a break in an established pattern.

Example: “Do you have any special skills?” the interviewer, John, asked.

“I can speak fluent French,” I replied.

“Where did you learn that?”

“I lived in France for two years during college.”

“So did I!” interjected the other interviewer, Mary.

When using dialogue tags, try to use a variety of different tags. Instead of only using the same
tag repeatedly, use numerous tags to provide more context to the scene. There are many dialogue
tags you can use, such as:

He exclaimed

I asked

She stated
 She wondered

He screamed

They whispered

Separate new speakers

Each time you introduce a new speaker into dialogue, place their quote on a separate line. This
rule applies to any situation where a different person speaks, not just when a new person enters a
conversation. Separating each speaker onto a new line makes the written dialogue easier to read
and follow.

Incorrect usage: “How are you?” John asked. “I am fine. How are you?” Mary replied. “I am
doing well. Thank you for asking,” John said.

Correct usage: “How are you?” John asked.

“I am fine. How are you?” Mary replied.

“I am doing well. Thank you for asking,” John said.

Punctuate inside quotation marks

In most situations, any punctuation goes inside the closing quotation marks, rather than after
them. This includes punctuation characters such as question marks, exclamation points or
commas.

Incorrect usage: Mary asked, “How can I help you today”?

Correct usage: Mary asked, “How can I help you today?”

There are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions largely depend on how you're using quotation
marks within the sentence. For example, if you're asking a question about a quote, the question
mark goes at the end of the sentence rather than with the words in quotations.

Example: Which Shakespeare’s play contains the words, “Now is the winter of our discontent”?

Periods and commas are always placed inside the quotation marks.
An exclamation point (!) or a question mark (?) is placed inside the quotation marks when it
punctuates a quotation, but outside the quotation when it punctuates the main sentence.

She looked at me and asked, “Are you alright?” (? punctuates the quote)

Did the teacher really say, “Finish this today”? (? punctuates the main sentence)

Use single quotes within the dialogue

If you have a quotation within a piece of dialogue, denote this with single quotation marks. This
may occur if the speaker is quoting someone else. Using double quotation marks for both pieces
of dialogue may make it harder to read, while this alternative can offer an intelligible reading
process.

Example: “When I was growing up, my father always told me, ‘Do your best at anything you
do,' and I've tried to live by that,” John said.

What Not to Do when Writing a Dialogue? – Points to Remember

Now that you know how to write a dialogue, let us also look at what all you are not supposed to
do when writing a dialogue.

 Using dialogue tags does give some clarity about the action and body language of the
characters, but see to it that you do not use dialogue tags with every single dialogue.
Also, make sure you don’t use too little.
 Using colloquial language is allowed in dialogue writing, but use them only if it matches
the context.
 Dialogues need not be grammatically correct all the time. That does not mean you can
write structureless sentences. You can have individual words or phrases as a dialogue.
For example: “What?”, “Of course!”, “She started the fight?”