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f_dia.txt Driver File Contents (ASManager2_6.zip)

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Class: <  >
Date: <  >

Creating Character
Through Dialogue

In these activities you are learning about and practicing the use of six basic strategies for developing a character. They are:

1) Description
2) Dialogue
3) Action
4) Reactions of other characters
5) Setting
6) Narrative

This activity focuses on developing a character through Dialogue.

By letting characters talk, you easily and quickly understand who they are. A character is revealed to the reader of a story not only by what he says, but also by how he says it.

When authors write dialogue, they usually use the word "said."

For example:

"Hillary, take the shoes to the shoemaker," said Mother.

Sometimes, however, an author might want to describe how the speaker is speaking. For example, the tone of voice, the emotions the speaker is feeling, or the urgency of the message.

"Hillary, take the shoes to the shoemaker," shouted Mother.

Or the author might describe Mother's way of speaking even more completely:

"Hillary, take the shoes to the shoemaker," shouted Mother angrily.

The following passage is from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. There are angle brackets that indicate where you should add words to describe how the speaker is speaking. The list below will help you think of words to use.

Words to use instead of said:

sobbed       declared   suggested  argued      cried
questioned   bragged    corrected  inquired    asked
began        called     ordered    wept        sighed
claimed      informed   smiled     blurted     mumbled
observed     warned     snapped    advised     glared
told         reminded   stated     retorted    gulped

Enter your choice of words inside the angle brackets. 

They were headed directly toward the center of the galaxy; then they moved off to one side; stars seemed to be rushing at them. Meg flung her arm up over her face as though to ward off the blow.

"Llookk!" Mrs. Which < >.

Meg dropped her arm. They seemed to be moving in toward a planet. She thought she could make out polar ice caps. Everything seemed sparkling clear.

"No, no, Medium dear, that's Mars," Mrs. Whatsit < >.

"Do I have to?" the Medium asked.

"Nnoww!" Mrs. Which < >.

The bright planet moved out of their vision. For a moment there was the darkness of space; then another planet. The outlines of this planet were not clean and clear. It seemed to be covered with a smoky haze. Through the haze Meg thought she could make out the familiar outlines of continents like pictures in her Social Studies books.

"Is it because of our atmosphere that we can't see properly?" she < >.

"Nno, Mmegg, yyou knnoww thatt itt iss nnott tthee attmosspheere," Mrs. Which said. "Yyou mmusstt bee brrave."

"It's the Thing!" Charles Wallace < >. "It's the Dark Thing we saw from the mountain peak on Uriel when we were riding on Mrs. Whatsit's back!"

"Did it just come?" Meg asked in < >, unable to take her eyes from the sickness of the shadow which darkened the
beauty of the earth. "Did it just come while we've been gone?"

Mrs. Which's voice seemed very < >. "Ttell herr," she said to Mrs. Whatsit.

Mrs. Whatsit sighed. "No, Meg. It hasn't just come. It has been there for a great many years. That is why your planet is such a troubled one."

"But why --" Calvin started to ask, his voice < >.

Mrs. Whatsit raised her hand to silence him. "We showed you the Dark Thing on Uriel first -- oh, for many reasons. First, because the atmosphere on the mountain peaks there is so clear and thin you could see it for what it is. And we thought it would be easier for you to understand it if you saw it -- well, some place else first, not your own earth."

"I hate it!" Charles Wallace < >. "I hate the Dark Thing!"

Mrs. Whatsit nodded. "Yes, Charles dear. We all do. That's another reason we wanted to prepare you on Uriel. We thought it would be too frightening for you to see it first of all about your own, beloved world."

"But what is it?" Calvin < >. "We know that it's evil, but what is it?"

"Yyouu hhave ssaidd itt!" Mrs. Which's voice < >. "Itt iss Eevill. Itt iss thee Ppowers of Ddarrkness!"

"But what's going to happen?" Meg's voice < >. "Oh, please, Mrs. Which, tell us what's going to happen!"

"Wee wwill cconnttinnue tto ffightt!"

Something in Mrs. Which's voice made all three of the children stand straighter, throwing back their shoulders with determination, looking at the glimmer that was Mrs. Which with pride and confidence.


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Below is the passage as the author wrote it. Read through the text and compare how Madeleine L'Engle used descriptive words to show each speaker's state of mind.

To more effectively compare the two versions, print your rewrite of the excerpt. Then compare it with the original version on-screen or on the handout.

They were headed directly toward the center of the galaxy; then they moved off to one side; stars seemed to be rushing at them. Meg flung her arm up over her face as though to ward off the blow.

"Llookk!" Mrs. Which commanded.

Meg dropped her arm. They seemed to be moving in toward a planet. She thought she could make out polar ice caps. Everything seemed sparkling clear.

"No, no, Medium dear, that's Mars," Mrs. Whatsit reproved gently.

"Do I have to?" the Medium asked.

"Nnoww!" Mrs. Which commanded.

The bright planet moved out of their vision. For a moment there was the darkness of space; then another planet. The outlines of this planet were not clean and clear. It seemed to be covered with a smoky haze. Through the haze Meg thought she could make out the familiar outlines of continents like pictures in her Social Studies books.

"Is it because of our atmosphere that we can't see properly?" she asked anxiously.

"Nno, Mmegg, yyou knnoww thatt itt iss nnott tthee attmosspheere," Mrs. Which said. "Yyou mmusstt bee brrave."

"It's the Thing!" Charles Wallace cried. "It's the Dark Thing we saw from the mountain peak on Uriel when we were riding on Mrs. Whatsit's back!"

"Did it just come?" Meg asked in agony, unable to take her eyes from the sickness of the shadow which darkened the beauty of the earth. "Did it just come while we've been gone?"

Mrs. Which's voice seemed very tired. "Ttell herr," she said to Mrs. Whatsit.

Mrs. Whatsit sighed. "No, Meg. It hasn't just come. It has been there for a great many years. That is why your planet is such a troubled one."

"But why --" Calvin started to ask, his voice croaking hoarsely.

Mrs. Whatsit raised her hand to silence him. "We showed you the Dark Thing on Uriel first -- oh, for many reasons. First, because the atmosphere on the mountain peaks there is so clear and thin you could see it for what it is. And we thought it would be easier for you to understand it if you saw it -- well, someplace else first, not your own earth."

"I hate it!" Charles Wallace cried passionately. "I hate the Dark Thing!"

Mrs. Whatsit nodded. "Yes, Charles dear. We all do. That's another reason we wanted to prepare you on Uriel. We thought it would be too frightening for you to see it first of all about your own, beloved world."

"But what is it?" Calvin demanded. "We know that it's evil, but what is it?"

"Yyouu hhave ssaidd itt!" Mrs. Which's voice rang out. "Itt iss Eevill. Itt iss thee Ppowers of Ddarrkness!"

"But what's going to happen?" Meg's voice trembled. "Oh, please, Mrs. Which, tell us what's going to happen!"

"Wee wwill cconnttinnue tto ffightt!"

Something in Mrs. Which's voice made all three of the children stand straighter, throwing back their shoulders with determination, looking at the glimmer that was Mrs. Which with pride and confidence.

Excerpted from A Wrinkle in Time
By Madeleine L'Engle
Copyright 1962 by Madeleine L'Engle Franklin
Reproduced by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.


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end of activity
Copyright Renaissance Learning, Inc.