Newb help with [bracket] NPC dialog

[GroupHugz]

I've tried many different NPCs but none of them seem to respond when I type their bracketed words in. After I hail them I noticed what words are bracketed. I go down to the entry box and type in the bracketed word. Hit enter. Then it says that I said the word and then... no response. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It's been 8 years since I've played this game so I'm hoping it's something obvious I'm not doing and not a bug.

Feel free to call me an idiot if I'm not doing something obvious.