Dialogue
To Reveal Characters
"Whatta we gonna do?" I was crying by then. It was getting dark, and I was cold and lonesome. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, but the tears came anyway.
"This is my fault," Johnny said in a miserable voice. he had stopped crying when I started. "For bringin' a little thirteen-year-old kid along. You ought to go home. You can't get into any trouble. You didn't kill him."
From The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
"What's this?" I ask.
"A peace offering," Maggie replies.
I could use some peace.
From Who Will Tell My Brother? by Marlene Carvell
To Reveal Conflicts
Oren shrugged noncommittally, looking down at his chocolaty fingers.
And that was when Penny smelled the smoke, an acrid odor in the air.
“You guys smell that?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Benji stood up, stretching slightly, his head hitting the roof. “Yeah.”
“Where’s it coming from?” Penny asked, a bad feeling crawling up her spine.
“Maybe a barbeque,” Teddy suggested.
“Smells more like burning leaves,” Mac uttered with a knowing sniff.
“Who’d be burning leaves this time of year?” Oren asked.
From The Creek by Jennifer L. Holm
The SS officers gave the order.
"Form ranks of fives!"
There was a tumult. It was imperative to stay together.
"Hey, kid, how old are you?"
The man interrogating me wan an inmate. I could not see his face, but his voice was weary and warm.
"Fifteen."
"No. You're eighteen."
"But I'm not," I said. "I'm fifteen."
"Fool. Listen to what I say."
Then he asked my father, who answered:
"I'm fifty."
"No." The man now sounded angry. "Not fifty. You're forty. Do you hear? Eighteen and forty."
From Night by Elie Wiesel
To Build Suspense
She cried and laughed together, and bending over, kissed his cheek.
“I only just thought of it,” she said hysterically. “Why didn’t I think of it before? Why didn’t you think of it?”
“Think of what?” he questioned.
“The other two wishes,” she replied rapidly. “We’ve only had one.”
“Was that not enough?” he demanded fiercely.
“No,” she cried triumphantly; “We’ll go down and get it quickly, and wish our boy alive again.”
From The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs
"Whatta we gonna do?" I was crying by then. It was getting dark, and I was cold and lonesome. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, but the tears came anyway.
"This is my fault," Johnny said in a miserable voice. he had stopped crying when I started. "For bringin' a little thirteen-year-old kid along. You ought to go home. You can't get into any trouble. You didn't kill him."
From The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
"What's this?" I ask.
"A peace offering," Maggie replies.
I could use some peace.
From Who Will Tell My Brother? by Marlene Carvell
To Reveal Conflicts
Oren shrugged noncommittally, looking down at his chocolaty fingers.
And that was when Penny smelled the smoke, an acrid odor in the air.
“You guys smell that?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Benji stood up, stretching slightly, his head hitting the roof. “Yeah.”
“Where’s it coming from?” Penny asked, a bad feeling crawling up her spine.
“Maybe a barbeque,” Teddy suggested.
“Smells more like burning leaves,” Mac uttered with a knowing sniff.
“Who’d be burning leaves this time of year?” Oren asked.
From The Creek by Jennifer L. Holm
The SS officers gave the order.
"Form ranks of fives!"
There was a tumult. It was imperative to stay together.
"Hey, kid, how old are you?"
The man interrogating me wan an inmate. I could not see his face, but his voice was weary and warm.
"Fifteen."
"No. You're eighteen."
"But I'm not," I said. "I'm fifteen."
"Fool. Listen to what I say."
Then he asked my father, who answered:
"I'm fifty."
"No." The man now sounded angry. "Not fifty. You're forty. Do you hear? Eighteen and forty."
From Night by Elie Wiesel
To Build Suspense
She cried and laughed together, and bending over, kissed his cheek.
“I only just thought of it,” she said hysterically. “Why didn’t I think of it before? Why didn’t you think of it?”
“Think of what?” he questioned.
“The other two wishes,” she replied rapidly. “We’ve only had one.”
“Was that not enough?” he demanded fiercely.
“No,” she cried triumphantly; “We’ll go down and get it quickly, and wish our boy alive again.”
From The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs