Dialogue Help-Sheet

DIALOGUE:

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people.

It brings characters to life and adds interest.

Functions of Dialogue:

• Provide information
• Describe place/person
• Create a sense of time
• Create conflict/suspense
• Move the story forward
• Reveal a character’s thoughts

Quotation marks  “ ”

·        Start new line for different speaker.

·        Thoughts are not put in quotation marks.

·        Single quotation marks for quotes from someone/book.

            Quotation marks are outside all that is said

Take Note:

• Be aware of local slang terms, accents, etc.
• It must suit the story and the era the story is set in, (1) A teenager speaks differently from an older person, (2) A northerner speaks differently from a person living in the south.
• Consistency: if you use Isn’t - Can’t, then continue to use it and do not change it to Is not- Can not
• Must listen to how people talk
• Don’t give too much information to your reader, let the story unfold.
• Use profanity and slang sparingly.