Grade 7 English TRADITIONAL FASHION – WRITING:DIALOGUE Notes
English — Writing: Dialogue
Topic: Traditional Fashion (Kenyan) — Age: 12
What is dialogue?
Dialogue is the exact words that people say in a story or conversation. In English we write dialogue inside quotation marks and follow special grammar rules.
Basic punctuation rules
- Put the speaker's words in quotation marks: “ ” (curly quotes) or " "
- Start with a capital letter: “Look at the kitenge,” she said.
- Make a new paragraph each time the speaker changes.
- Use a comma before a dialogue tag if the sentence continues: “I love the shuka,” said Musa.
- If the sentence ends with a question mark or exclamation, keep that mark and do NOT add a comma: “Do you like my beaded necklace?” asked Asha.
- If the tag comes before the quote, put a comma after the tag: Asha said, “The kikoi is bright.”
Dialogue tags (said / asked / replied)
Use simple verbs to show who speaks: said, asked, replied, shouted, whispered. These do not need capitals and usually follow commas or question marks as shown in examples.
Examples (traditional fashion)
Asha: “Look at my kitenge!” she said.
Musa: “Wow — the colours are bright,” replied Musa.
Asha: “Do you want to wear a shuka?”
Musa: “Yes, please.”
Teacher said, “Tell us about traditional beads.”
Asha: “They show our culture…” she whispered.
Musa: “Wow — the colours are bright,” replied Musa.
Asha: “Do you want to wear a shuka?”
Musa: “Yes, please.”
Teacher said, “Tell us about traditional beads.”
Asha: “They show our culture…” she whispered.
Special cases
- Interruptions: use an em dash (—) to show a sudden stop. Example: “But I thought the beads were—” he stopped.
- Trailing off: use an ellipsis (…) when speech fades away. Example: “The pattern reminds me of home…”
- Action with speech (action beats): if you add action, punctuation depends on placement: She smiled and said, “The kanga is lovely.” or “The kanga is lovely,” she smiled.
- Questions or exclamations inside speech keep their marks inside the quotes: “Where did you buy the kikoi?” asked Ben.
- Code-switching (Kiswahili or local words): punctuation stays the same. Example: “Habari, mama?” he asked.
Paragraph rule (very important)
Always start a new paragraph when the speaker changes. This helps the reader know who is speaking.
Correct paragraph example
“I want to sew a kitenge dress,” said Asha.
“I will help you choose patterns,” said her friend, Lydia.
“I will help you choose patterns,” said her friend, Lydia.
Short practice (try these)
- Punctuate correctly: Asha said I love the beadwork
- Make paragraphs: Two speakers talking about a shuka — write two lines, one for each speaker.
Answers
1) “I love the beadwork,” said Asha.
2) “The shuka is red,” said Mama.
“Yes, it's beautiful,” said Tom.
2) “The shuka is red,” said Mama.
“Yes, it's beautiful,” said Tom.
Emojis for quick memory: 💬 use quotes, ↩️ new paragraph for each speaker, , use commas before tags when needed.