Punctuation in Dialogue
What does dialogue look like in a story?
Goal:
Goal:
You have probably noticed that conversations between characters look a little different from other parts of a story. That's because writers use commas, quotation marks, and other symbols to show that characters are speaking directly to each other. Look at this example of dialogue that is punctuated correctly:
“If I turn you loose, will you run?” asked the woman.
“Yes’m,” said the boy.
“Then I won’t turn you loose,” said the woman. She did not release him.
“I’m very sorry, lady; I’m sorry,” whispered the boy.
“Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”
“No’m,” said the boy.
Question
Which words in this dialogue make the conversation sound more like the way these characters would actually talk?
"Yes'm" and "Um-hum! . . . I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain't you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?"