Dialogue
“This week’s story is going to focus on dialogue,” lectured the teacher. She then continued with the following: “When creative writing, you often want to express the story through the characters’ own voices.” After eyeing the whining students she raised her voice to explain, “This means that you need to learn how to correctly punctuate quotation marks and you also need to think of synonyms for the word ‘said.’” Bobby raised his hand and asked, “You mean we can’t use the word ‘said’ in our stories?” “That’s right, Bobby. You’re very intelligent,” she complimented sarcastically. “And this has to be done this Friday?” complained Judy. “Just like the other stories,” reminded the teacher. And with that, the students’ brains began to think of awesome dialogues they could create.
Rules for “QUOTATION MARKS”
1. Use a capital letter with the first word of a direct quotation of a whole sentence. Do not use a capital letter with the first letter of a direct quotation that is part of the rest of a sentence.
Mr. and Mrs. Allen said, “We refuse to use pesticide.” Mr. and Mrs. Allen said that they “refuse to use pesticide.”
2. If the quotation is interrupted and then continues, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.
“He likes to talk,” she said, “especially when he thinks he’s being funny.”
3. Commas and periods always go to the left of the quotation marks.
I commented, “I don’t think that book is appropriate.”
4. Question marks, exclamation marks, and dashes go inside the quotatioin marks when they are part of the quotation, and outside when they are not.
Where’s your copy of “The Raven”?
“How cold is it outside?” my mother asked.
5. Put quotes around titles of short stories, poems, songs, articles, chapters.
I love the poem “Annabel Lee,” the story “White knight at the Battlefeld,” the song “Yellow Submarine,” the article “Your Own Lunch,” and the chapter “Peace Be With You.”
6. Use single ‘quotation marks’ around a quote that is in another quote.
“Juan, will you read the poem ‘Annabel Lee’ out loud to the class?” asked Mrs. Peddicord.
Your story should be no longer than one typed, double spaced page.
Your story should contain LOTS and LOTS of dialogue and not use the word ‘said.’
Grade: _______________/50
“Wa’er,” she pleaded. “Wa’r” she again supplicated. “¿Qu¬é quiere la mujer?” one of the men asked the other. “Tal vez quiere agua,” shrugged the second man. She blinked a long slow blink and thought that when she opened her eyes the men would be gone. “I nee’ hel’, please,” she urged. “I ha’en’t had a dri’ in days.” The first man jabbed at her with his walking stick and smiled when she didn’t even move. “¿Vemos si tiene dinero?” came his question. “No creo. Apenas tiene ropa,” replied the other. “Quizas debemos llevarla a la casa,” he recommended again.
She wrestled to open her heavy eyes. The lids wiggled and slowly came unglued and she blearily peered around a dingy room. “AAAAAAHHHHHHHH,”she screamed when the burro’s head popped through the small window. “What do you want?” she asked him when she’d calmed down a little. “Heeeeee Haaaaaaaaw,” the burro squawked. She stood shakily on her tired legs and smacked her chapped and broken lips. “I wonder where I am?” she questioned herself. She walked to the curtain that hung as a door to the outside. She looked out and saw a group of people sitting around a fire toasting tortillas and drinking atole.
“Qué hacemos con la mujer?” “Necesita donde vivir y está débil todavia.” “Sí, pero no tenemos que darle.”
“Hem hem,” she breathed out and everyone turned to look at her. With trepidation she walked toward the fire. “Bienvenida,” spoke the woman in a sweet, welcoming voice. “Uh, does anyone speak English?” she hopefully replied.
At that moment, a gringo came around the corner. She recognized him. He scanned the surroundings and his glance stopped on her. “Mina?” he asked her. “Are you okay?” “I am now,” she thought.
