Dialogue . . . really talks to me

If Kermit says, “Hi Ho!” That’s dialogue.

You use dialogue every day. It’s really just a fancy word for “talking.”

Using dialogue is fun! But there are a few tricks you need to know so you can punctuate it correctly.

Always place quotation marks around dialogue. Herman asked, “What’s for lunch?”

Herman asked, “What’s for lunch?” In addition to the quotation marks, a comma is needed to separate the dialogue from the tag.

Herman asked, “What’s for lunch?” It is also important to place the punctuation for the dialogue INSIDE the quotation marks.

Herman asked, “What’s for lunch?” “What’s for lunch?” Herman asked. List the differences you notice between these two sentences.

“I’m so happy it’s pizza,” shouted George, “because I’m starving!” This is a little more tricky… Note: The comma is inside the first closing quotation marks because the tag is in the middle of the dialogue. Also: because begins with a lower case letter.

You can use dialogue can tell a lot about a character. Sophia shrieked, “Sugah Pie, don’ evah talk ta me agahn!” (It’s okay to spell dialogue just like it sounds!)

Now you know the rules! Be sure to use them in your writing when your characters talk.

Remember to make your writing exciting! Use powerful words to describe how a character speaks: Did she scream, whisper, reply, shout, mutter, murmur, ask, or cry? Can you list some other ways she could speak?

One last tip: If you have two or more characters speaking, you must begin a new paragraph each time a new person speaks.

“Who is ready to fish first. ” asked Mr. Jones. “I am “Who is ready to fish first?” asked Mr. Jones. “I am!” shrieked Mortimer. “Mortimer!” whispered Mr. Jones sternly, “Be careful! You are frightening away the fish!” “Hey, fish! Come back!” hollered Mortimer.

Use it to make your characters seem alive! Dialogue Use it to make your characters seem alive!