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.
