Example (eye dialect): “Ohhh mah gawwwd, babe, like… I literally can’t even right now. He was all, like, ‘We need to talk,’ and I was, like, ‘Um, ex-cuse me? Talk about what, exactly?’” “And then he, like, said sumthin’ ‘bout me bein’ too dramatic, and I was like, ‘Hellooo? I’m just bein’ real.’ Ugh. Men are, like… the worst. No cap.” “Anyways, I was, like, soooo embarazzed. I, like, died. And then I got this super cute lil top, like, on sale? Only ten bucks! Can you believe?” This kind of dialect emphasizes: Drawn-out vowels: gawwwd, soooo, hellooo Simplified or phonetically spelled words: sumthin’, embarazzed Non-standard grammar: “I was like,” “he said sumthin’” Repetition of “like,” “literally,” “oh my gawd” for filler and tone ✏️ Writing Rules & Conventions 1. Use exaggerated vowels to emphasize emotional tone Elongate vowels to mimic dramatic speech or emotional outbursts. “Oh my gawwwd” “Nooo wayyy” “That’s, like, sooo cuuuute” 2. Replace certain words with phonetically spelled versions Standard Eye Dialect God Gawd Something Sumthin’ Because ‘Cuz / ‘Cause Really Rilly / Reaally Totally Totes Cute Kyoot Use apostrophes to show dropped syllables: goin’, talkin’, doin’. 3. Filler words and speech tics are essential Sprinkle in: “Like” (very often, sometimes more than once per sentence) “Literally” (used for emphasis, even when illogical) “Um” “Hellooo?” (as a rhetorical device) “Ew” / “Ugh” / “Yikes” “No offense but…” (before saying something rude) “Deadass” or “no cap” (if mixing in Gen Z bimbo) 4. Use up-talk and trailing thoughts These characters often trail off or undercut their own seriousness. “I was, like… dying?” “I don’t even know, like… it was just… whatever.” Punctuate with ellipses (…) or question marks for uncertainty or performance. Longer example: “Oh mah gawwwd, okay so, like, you are not gonna believe what just happened to me. So I’m at the salon, right? And I’m just sittin’ there, flippin’ through, like, Vogue or somethin’, just mindin’ my own biz, and this lady walks in — like, straight up in Crocs. Pink Crocs. With, like, a dress. And I was like, ‘Um, hi? Is this, like, a prank show or somethin’?’ I almost choked on my cucumber water. I mean, no offense, but like… there’s a time and place for rubber shoes and it is not next to my highlights, okay? So anyways, I get my toner done, and the girl — Tiffany, she’s, like, sooo sweet but kinda new — she totally leaves the foil in too long. And I’m like, ‘Babe, I said butter blonde, not brassy Arizona straw bale realness, okay?’ So now I’m sittin’ there with my head in a sink, thinkin’, like, what if my hair just, like, melts off or somethin’? I’ve seen it happen on YouTube. It’s, like, totally traumatizin’. But then I was like, ‘Okay, relax. Just breathe. You can always wear a hat.’ Except I, like, don’t do hats. They make my head look... like, big or