Two characters trade short lines, but the draft places everything in one block. You add several “she said” tags and the conversation still feels crowded. The problem may begin with paragraph boundaries rather than a shortage of attribution.
Give each turn a visible home
For conventional English prose dialogue, Purdue OWL’s fiction guidance recommends separating different speakers’ words into their own paragraphs. This gives the reader a visual cue alongside the wording.
Try it with an original exchange: Mara asks whether the key is on the table; Leon answers that it is in his coat. Put each person’s speech in a separate paragraph, then read the exchange again before adding further explanation.
Check the actions attached to the speech
An action placed beside a line can influence who the reader thinks is speaking. If Mara asks the question but Leon’s movement immediately follows in the same paragraph, inspect whether the arrangement creates an unintended attribution.
Do not treat every action as a substitute for a dialogue tag. Choose the clearest arrangement for the moment, and keep the action itself relevant. Our discussion of unclear character references helps with the surrounding sentences.
Use conventions deliberately
Some fiction adopts a different dialogue style. If you choose one, give the reader a consistent system rather than an accidental mixture of several approaches. Requirements may also differ for scripts, transcripts or a particular publication.
For a final check, cover the names and follow the turns through a short passage. If the speakers become difficult to track, restore a clear cue where it is needed. A readable conversation lets the reader attend to what the characters want, instead of continually reconstructing who has the floor.