english_9_lm_draft

Read the excerpt again, then do the following:
1. How do the characters’ words and actions help them reveal their own
personalities, as well as the personalities of the other characters?
2. How does the playwright show the change that takes place in the
characters and in their relationships to each other?
YOUR FINAL TASK
One of the most enjoyable elements in Driving Miss Daisy is the
naturalness of the dialogue. The playwright uses familiar patterns of
speech (Anything over seven dollars is robbery. Highway robbery) and
references to real-life places (the grocery store). Reading or hearing this
dialogue makes the situation authentic and believable.
Dialogue is a conversational passage in a play used to advance
the plot or develop the characters. For the fiction writer, the challenge is
to create dialogue that advances the plot and sounds realistic. Awkward or
forced dialogue will pull the reader away from the story.
Writing good dialogue takes practice and patience. Here are some
tips to improve how you write your dialogue.
1. Dialogue should sound real. You don’t need all the Hellos, Goodbyes
and boring small talk of daily life.
2. Good dialogue should move the story forward. The best place to see
great dialogue is by attending (or reading) plays, watching movies or
even just switching on the TV.
3. Learn how to write the correct punctuation for speech. It will be a
useful tool for you as a writer, making it easier for you to write the
dialogue you want.
4. Have people argue with people, or have people saying surprising,
contrary things.
5. Think about how each of your characters sounds. Make each voice
DRAFT
distinct – this can be subtle or dramatic.
6. People don’t have to answer each other directly.
Task 14: Writing on Your Own
With a partner, develop a two- or-three minute conversation that
April
you might hear in the cafeteria
10,
or on a bus.
2014
Make the conversation real and believable. Then present the
dialogue to the class.
Grade 9 English Learning Package