Editing Dialogue for Quotation Marks

Dialogue uses quotation marks. These special marks go before and after the exact words of the speaker.

Periods and commas that follow the speaker’s words always go inside the quotation marks.

Question marks and exclamation marks go inside the quotation marks when they punctuate the dialogue.

Revising to Add Dialogue

Dialogue refers to the words spoken by characters. Even though you might not know the exact things people said in the past, you can still add dialogue to your story. The trick is to use words and language that make sense for the time period.

• Too modern:

  “Chill out,” said Meriwether Lewis. “We got this.”

• More realistic:

  “We must remain calm,” said Meriwether Lewis. “The task is attainable.”

• Create a conversation between two characters.

  “Which direction do you favor, Captain Lewis?” asked Clark.

  “You have navigated us this far,” I responded. “I trust the south branch will keep us on the Missouri.”

• Use language that represents the time in history.

  “Captain Lewis, might that be the Great Falls?”

• Use dialogue to help move your story along.

  “We shall navigate the south branch farther and will not return until we reach the Great Falls,” I said.

Writing the Beginning Paragraph

The first sentence in your narrative should grab the reader’s attention. It is called a “lead.”

• Start in the middle of the action:

  With the mighty Rockies on the horizon, our expedition came upon a fork in the Missouri River.

• Start with interesting dialogue:

  “If we make the wrong choice, the expedition is doomed,” said Captain Lewis.

• Use a startling idea:

  If your life hung on a 50-50 chance, could you flip the coin?

Editing to Punctuate Dialogue

Dialogue, or written conversation, works only when it is punctuated correctly. Use the examples that follow as a guide to punctuating dialogue.

Put quotation marks around spoken words.

Use a comma to separate the speaker from the spoken words.

If the comma comes after the quotation, put the comma inside the quotation marks.

If a period comes after a quotation, put the period inside the quotation marks.

If the speaker interrupts a spoken sentence, use two commas to show the interruption.

If the speaker comes between two sentences, use a period to end one sentence before beginning another.

Revising to Show Instead of Tell

Study the two passages that follow. The “before” passage only explains the action, telling about it. The “after” passage uses action, dialogue, personal feelings, and details to develop the action, showing it. The second passage is much more interesting to read.

BEFORE (only explains the action)

AFTER (develops the action with dialogue and personal feelings)

Writing the Beginning Paragraph

The first few sentences in your narrative should grab the reader’s attention. They are called the lead. The following activity will help you write an effective lead.

• Start in the middle of the action.

  Suddenly, I heard a crash downstairs and the sound of breaking glass. “Hey, who’s down there?” I yelled.

• Have the characters talk.

  My brother’s lips were so swollen, it sounded like he said, “Mine guess who fur hiss!”

  “What?” I said.

  He glared at me and said louder, “I’ll get you for this!”

• Begin with a surprising statement or fact.

  When I was nine, I started my dad’s car and drove onto the street. I thought I was going to New Jersey.

• Give some important background information.

  It was a beautiful August morning. The sun was brightly shining on my sunglasses while my mother drove the U-haul truck to a warehouse in Santa Ana, California. As my mother drove down the streets of Santa Ana, I looked out the window and began to realize that the mixture of people was no longer a mixture; there was only white.

Prewriting to Select a Topic

Prewriting to Gather Details

Before you can share a story, you need to remember all the important things that happened. Asking and answering the 5 W’s and H questions can activate your memory and help you record important details about your experience.

• Who was involved in the experience?
• What exactly happened? (the actions or events)
• Where did it happen?
• When did it happen?
• Why did it happen? (the background)
• How did you change because of the experience?

Writing On-Demand Essays

A writing assessment gives you a short time to write a response to a prompt.

To do so, you should use a shortened form of the writing process:

Prewriting (5 Minutes)

Answer the PAST questions.

Purpose? Explain how it’s made

Audience? New person

Subject? A favorite food

Type? Essay

Write a focus statement.

Most Americans like tacos, but they haven’t had Mexican tacos.

List supporting details.

—Using cilantro, goat cheese, homemade white corn tortilla

—Making tortillas

—Cooking meat, cutting cilantro

—Putting taco together

Analyzing Writing Prompts

Often tests contain writing prompts that you must respond to. Your first step is to understand the writing prompt. You can use the PAST questions:

• Purpose? Why am I writing? (To explain? To demonstrate?)
• Audience? Who will read my writing? (Tester? Classmates?)
• Subject? What subject should I write about? (Games? Pizza?)
• Type? What type of writing should I create? (Essay? Letter?)

Sample Writing Prompt

Answers to PAST Questions

• Purpose?

  To explain the meaning of the sayings and give examples

• Audience?

  A person who is learning English

• Subject?

  Animal sayings

• Type?

  Essay