Page 131 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Activity 1.5
Lesson: Punctuating Dialogue Learning Target
• Correctly punctuate and capitalize dialogue.
When you are writing dialogue, there are several language conventions to follow that help you make sure it is clear who is speaking and what is said.
Use Quotation Marks: Place a person’s spoken words inside quotation marks. Use opening and closing quotation marks around each word group that is spoken. Notice that the interrupting speech tag is set off by commas.
“Please figure out the answer,” said Ms. Werton, “and then explain it in writing.”
Place Punctuation Correctly: In dialogue, place periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points inside the closing quotation mark. Notice in the example above that the comma and the period that end the spoken word groups are set inside the closing quotation marks.
“Have you seen the garden yet?”
“We’ve been waiting for ages. Come on!”
Capitalize the first word in each line of dialogue. However, when a line of dialogue is interrupted by a speech tag, you generally don’t need a capital letter after the interruption.
“The play begins at 8:00,” said Ms. Rogers, “so we should arrive by 7:40.”
Start a new paragraph when a different person or character speaks.
Mr. Jackson said, “There are several kinds of birds visiting our bird feeder right now, including cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, and doves.”
“Are you seeing any kingbirds?” asked his brother. “Not recently.”
Check Your Understanding
On your own paper, write a short dialogue between three people or characters. Be sure to use punctuation and capitalization correctly to show who is speaking, what each person says, and what exactly they say.
10 SpringBoard® Writing Workshop with Grammar Activities Grade 6
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.