English 9 / Unit 2: Characterization and Point of View
2.6 Dialogue and Voice
Notes
Dialogue is characters' spoken words. Voice is the distinct personality of a narrator or character's language.
- Dialogue reveals traits, relationships and conflict, and moves the plot.
- Word choice, slang, sentence length and dialect (regional speech) create voice.
- Formatting: use quotation marks, start a new paragraph for each new speaker, put commas and periods inside quotation marks.
- Example: "Ain't nobody fixin' that fence today," Grandpa said. The dialect suggests a rural, informal speaker.
Practice
"'Pardon me, madam, but I believe you have dropped your glove,' said the boy." What does this dialogue suggest about the boy?
Formal phrases like "Pardon me, madam" show politeness.
Which is punctuated correctly?
The comma goes inside the quotation marks, and "she" is lowercase.
Which element most creates a narrator's voice?
Voice comes from how the narrator uses language.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 2 test.