Know the words
What do we call the words a character says?
Dialogue.
Kai grins and waves his friend over. What might he be feeling? Name a clue.
Happy or pleased. His grin or wave supports this.
What punctuation goes around spoken words?
Quotation marks, also called speech marks or inverted commas.
Add an action to make “Hello!” sound welcoming.
Mia smiled and waved. “Hello!”
What is an action?
Something a character does.
“Take your time.” Mia taps her foot and checks the clock. What might she really want? Explain.
She wants the person to hurry. Tapping and checking the clock suggest impatience.
When should you begin a new paragraph in a conversation?
When the speaker changes.
Add an action to suggest the speaker is impatient: “Are you ready?”
Kai checked the clock again. “Are you ready?”
What is a personality trait?
A quality in someone’s personality.
“I’m not scared.” Kai backs away from the dark doorway. What might he be hiding? Explain.
Fear or worry. He moves away from the doorway.
Identify the dialogue tag: “Wait for me,” Kai said.
Kai said.
Add an action that suggests the speaker is worried: “Everything is fine.”
Mia twisted her sleeve. “Everything is fine.”
What is a motive?
The reason a character does something.
“I don’t need help.” Ava reads the instructions again, then checks her partner’s work. What might this suggest?
She may be unsure but reluctant to admit it. Checking her partner’s work is a clue.
Which is correct? A: “Where are you?” Mia asked. B: “Where are you”? Mia asked.
A. The question mark belongs inside the quotation marks.
Make “You can borrow it” suggest reluctance without using the word reluctant.
Kai held the book tightly for a moment before handing it over. “You can borrow it.”
What is subtext?
Meaning suggested underneath a character’s words.
“It doesn’t matter.” Mia folds the torn invitation and hides it in her bag. Give a possible interpretation and a supporting clue.
It may matter to her, or she may feel hurt. Hiding the invitation suggests she wants to conceal it or her reaction.
Which is correct, and why? A: Kai stepped back, “Did you hear that?” B: Kai stepped back. “Did you hear that?”
B. “Kai stepped back” is an action sentence, so it ends with a full stop.
Give two different actions for “Great. You’re here.” One must show kindness and the other annoyance.
Pleasure: smiles and pulls out a chair. Annoyance: rolls their eyes and turns away.