Page 140 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade7_Flipbook

Activities 1.3, 1.8
Lesson: Punctuating Dialogue Learning Target
• Correctly punctuate dialogue.
When you are writing dialogue, use punctuation correctly and expressively to help make it clear who is speaking, what is said, and how it 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.
“I wonder,” said Mr. Washington, “if you know any jokes.”
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.
“What stays in a corner but goes around the world?” asked Marie.
“I know: a postage stamp!” exclaimed Laura.
Start a new paragraph when a different person or character speaks.
Mr. Washington said, “There are several kinds of jokes that have been around for a long time.”
“How long have knock-knock jokes been around?” asked Marie. “I don’t know. Why don’t we see if we can research that?”
Use ellipses and dashes to show pauses and sudden breaks in speech.
Laura said, “I know a good one. Why was the young boy concentrate—wait, no, that’s not how the joke goes. . . . Hmm. OK, I think I’ve got it. Why was the young boy staring at the the orange juice carton?”
“Because it said concentrate,” said Thomas.
Grammar Activities • Unit 1 7
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