Punctuating Quotations and Writing Dialogue in Narrative Writing

You will

punctuate

quotations

correctl

y!!

Tag lines leading into dialogue

Jake stated , “ The Star Wars movies are really exciting . ”

Tag lines leading out of dialogue

“ The Star Wars movies are really exciting , ” Jake stated .

Questions

“ Did you see Return of the Jedi ? ” Jake asked intently . -OR-Jake asked intently , “ Did you see Return of the Jedi ? ”

Exclamations

“ The special effects were amazing ! ” Jake exclaimed . -OR- Jake exclaimed , “ The special effects were amazing ! ”

Divided Quotations

“ When Revenge of the Sith is released ,” Jake asked eagerly , “ do you want to see it together ? ”

WritingDialogue

With help from

Change paragraphs when

the speaker changes

“ Nurse , who is my next patient ? ” asked Dr. Zook irritably .

Nurse Olga replied , “ Hagar the Horrible . ”

Dr. Zook inquired , “ What’s his complaint ? ”

“ He has a sore back , ” she replied .

Examining the patient’s records, Dr. Zook walked down the hallway to the waiting room. “ Morning, Hagar , ” he said casually .

“ Morning, Dr. Zook , ” boomed Hagar .

“ My nurse tells me you have a sore back , ” stated Dr. Zook .

“ That’s right , ” moaned Hagar .The doctor inquired , “ How long have you

had a sore back ? ”“ Since I returned from raiding England , ”

Hagar mumbled sheepishly .

“ Hmmm…before I examine you , ” Dr. Zook said , “ let me ask you a question. Have you ever tried acupuncture ? ”

With four arrows lodged in his back, Hagar sarcastically replied , “ Yes. Just recently . ”

Change paragraphs when

the setting or action changes

As his crew was unloading their bulky cargo from the Viking ship, Hagar demanded , “ Stow the loot aboard, men ! I’ll be back shortly . ”

With his sword and shield in hand, Hagar strode confidently into the village. When he came to Ye Olde Dress Shoppe, he mumbled , “ I have one more thing to do before I return home ! ”

Hagar entered the shop and hailed the clerk , “ Morning ! While I’m here in England, I’d like to get a dress for my wife ! ”

Hand outstretched, the clerk replied cheerily , “ Certainly sir! What kind of dress would you like ? ”

“ I’m looking for a blue short-sleeved dress, size 48 , ” Hagar requested .

“ I have that style ! ” replied the clerk , eager to please his customer .

Change paragraphs when

a new idea is introduced

Then quickly ,the clerk’s tone changed. “ But, say… aren’t you Hagar the Horrible ? ” he yelled accusatorily .

Thinking this was a compliment, Hagar beamed, “ Why yes, I am . ”

To Hagar’s surprise, the clerk darted behind the counter, and grabbed a sword . “ You’re not taking the dress without a fight ! ” cursed the clerk while brandishing his sword menacingly .

“ My reputation follows me everywhere ! ” Hagarsighed disgustedly to himself .

Now it’s your turn. Choose one of the following

and write dialogue, just as I

showed you!

OR------

I have some other Hagar the Horrible strips.

OR------

Choose a comic strip of your own. It must be a multiple frame strip just like the examples. Please check with me to make sure your strip has enough detail to complete

this project.