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Dialogue Tags (Said, Asked, Replied)
"How many questions did you get right?" asked the teacher.

Dialogue Tags (Said, Asked, Replied)

Learn how “said”, “asked” and “replied” show who is speaking, helping your KS1 stories sound clear, lively and easy to follow.

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Fascinating Fact:

Mixing “said”, “asked”, and “replied” helps the reader follow if someone is talking, questioning, or answering.

In KS1 English, children learn to use dialogue tags like “said”, “asked” and “replied” so readers can track who is speaking and how they feel in a conversation.

Key Terms

  • Dialogue tag: A short phrase that shows who is speaking, such as “Tom said”.
  • Said: A simple dialogue tag used to show someone is speaking in a neutral way.
  • Asked / Replied: Dialogue tags that show a question is being spoken or an answer is being given.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are dialogue tags in KS1 writing?

Dialogue tags are words like “said”, “asked” or “replied” that tell us who is speaking. They help KS1 readers follow conversations in stories clearly and confidently.

Why should children use different words like said, asked and replied?

Using different dialogue tags shows whether a character is talking, questioning or answering. This makes the story more interesting and easier for the reader to understand.

How do I teach dialogue tags to KS1 children?

Start with speech in simple stories. Highlight the words that show who is talking, then let children add “said”, “asked” or “replied” to their own speech sentences.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .
"I'm not sure," he replied. Why have we used the word 'replied'?
Because we already used said.
Because the speaker is replying to a question or comment.
Because we already used asked.
Because he is asking a question.
If you use the word replied, it means they are answering or adding to something somebody has already said. This means there will be some speech beforehand or an assumption that somebody has spoken before this comment.
2 .
Which of these would the 'said' tag match?
"Can I borrow your bike?"
"Watch out!"
"I like your bike,"
"No, I disagree with you."
If somebody is shouting, and using an exclamation mark, we wouldn't say 'said', we would use words like 'shouted' or 'screamed'.
3 .
Which sentence is perfect?
"No thank you," asked the girl.
"No thank you," said the girl.
"No thank you," replied the girl.
"No thank you," the girl.
We could use the word 'said' here but it is clear she has replied to a question and so, 'replied' makes more sense.
4 .
Which of these words is not a verb for speaking?
said
jumped
asked
replied
Said, asked and replied are all ways of saying that somebody has spoken - they are also verbs, which means they are doing words.
5 .
Which sentence is perfect?
"Can I borrow your umbrella?" asked the lady.
"Can I borrow your umbrella?" asked.
"Can I borrow your umbrella?" said the lady.
"Can I borrow your umbrella?" said.
You can write a dialogue tag even if you don't know the name of the person speaking, instead of using a proper noun, you can just write the noun - like lady.
6 .
Which sentence is perfect?
"What did you get for your birthday?" said Ashley.
"What did you get for your birthday?" replied Ashley.
"What did you get for your birthday?" asked.
"What did you get for your birthday?" asked Ashley.
When adding a dialogue tag, we must always say who is speaking.
7 .
"Can I help you?" asked Debbie. Why have we used the word 'asked'?
Because we used said too many times already.
Because I can't spell said.
Because I like that word the most.
Because the speaker is asking a question.
If you say somebody asked something, then they are asking a question and so, a question mark will need to be written.
8 .
When using the phrase 'asked', what type of punctuation must be used within the speech?
!
.
&
?
The question mark will always occur within the speech marks.
9 .
"Can I have some?" How should this sentence end?
replied Alison.
asked Alison.
said Alison.
Alison.
She is asking a question and that is why 'asked' is the best way to tag the dialogue.
10 .
"Yes you can water the garden." How should this sentence end?
asked his grandpa.
said his grandpa.
his grandpa.
replied his grandpa.
The sentence sounds like he is replying, because he is saying 'yes'.
Author:  Finola Waller (MEd, Primary School Teacher & KS1 English Quiz Writer)
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