The English Teacher

Teaching Dialogue Analysis


The following dialogue sheet can be used to teach students the basic characteristics of good dialogue. Rather than taking notes on what good dialogue is, the students receive the notes in the form itself and learn to recognize it by finding it in a literary work. It helps them to evaluate the quality of the dialogue in the short story or novel, etc. that they are reading. When they learn that some literary works are lacking in a number of these elements they become more aware of what constitutes skillful dialogue. Of course the form can be modified to include whatever the teacher feels is appropriate for the aspects of dialogue being taught.

This form can also be used by students to analyze their individual reading books.

You may wish the students to add author, title, and page number to specifically identify the dialogue they select.

Note: This form may be adapted to assist in teaching creative writing. Please see Teaching Creative Writing for tips in writing dialogue.


English Dialogue Sheet
(DialgSht.Eng)

*Dialogue: the conversation between 2 or more characters.

A. What dialogue gives clues to a character's occupation, ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

B. What dialogue gives clues to a character's nationality? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

C. What dialogue gives clues to a character's social position or social class?

___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

D. Which dialogue advances the action by relating to the main conflict? (Include ____ vs ____ in explanation.) Give two examples.

Example one: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Example two: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

E. Which dialogue shows conversational give and take?
(Where the speakers talk back and forth.)
Give three examples:

Example one: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Example two: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Example three: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

F. Which dialogue reveals something about the character and personality of the speaker? Give two examples.

Example one: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Example two: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Explain your choice. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________



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