English Writing Practice Test: Dialogue Writing — Flashcards

Dialogue is a written conversation between two or more characters in a story. It's a way for writers to show a story instead of explaining it. Dialogue can help readers get to know characters and interpret the story for themselves. 

Here are some tips for writing dialogue:
Know the reason: Determine why the dialogue is happening.
Choose characters: Decide which characters are speaking.
Use quotation marks: Start and end dialogue with quotation marks.
Start with action: Begin with the action.
Use dialogue tags: Show who's speaking.
Keep it tight: Avoid unnecessary words.
Keep it oblique: Characters shouldn't always answer each other directly.
Show character dynamics: Reveal character emotions and dynamics.
Keep dialogue tags simple: Use simple dialogue tags.
Use correct punctuation: Get the punctuation right.
Be careful with accents: Be careful with accents.
Use action beats: Include action beats.
Separate speakers: Place each speaker's quote on a separate line.
Use single quotes: Use single quotes when quoting something within the dialogue.
Use a separate sentence: Use a separate sentence for actions that happen before or after the dialogue.
Show, don't tell: Use dialogue to show what a character thinks and believes, instead of telling the reader.
Avoid filler dialogues: Avoid dialogues that lead to no logical conclusions.
Keep it real: Dialogues should feel like real conversations.

Related Test: English Writing Practice Test: Essay Writing