4.3: Parenthetical
- Page ID
- 358873
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Parenthetical is a direction or note that are shown in parenthesis in a dialogue. They are sometimes called actor’s direction, personal direction or wryly.
The 3 main applications of parentheticals:
- Convey emotion
- Action during dialogue
- When you’re addressing someone
These can often provide useful tips, subtext or attitude of the character, but keep in mind to avoid telling your actors how to act. Only use parentheticals when the subtext is not clear.
For example, let's take a simple line of dialogue:
SAMMY
I just love math class.
Without a parenthetical, it just seems like Sammy is stating that she simply loves math class.
SAMMY
(sarcastic)
I just love math class.
Now we know that Sammy is only saying it sarcastically.
You can also add direction to the parenthetical.
SAMMY
(rolling her eyes)
I just love math class.
If there are multiple people in the scene, Sammy can address the dialogue to someone specific.
SAMMY
(to Andrea)
I just love math class.
(to Nancy)
Do you like math?
One thing to note is that you never end the dialogue on a parenthetical. The parenthetical applies to the dialogue beneath it. If there is no dialogue, then there is no point of the parenthetical. If you wanted to sneak in a direction in the parenthetical after the dialogue is over, just use the action line to describe an action for the character.