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Academy11+

11+ Creative writing · Topic explained

Dialogue that moves the story on

Can a few spoken words change a whole story?

The big idea

Good dialogue reveals character or moves the plot on, and each new speaker gets a new line.

Picture it

Like a tennis rally: every line is hit back and moves the game on.

Key words

Dialogue
Characters talking to each other.
Speech marks
Inverted commas around the words actually spoken.
New speaker, new line
Start a new line each time someone else speaks.

Worked examples

  1. 1Warm-up

    "Wait for me!" called Amir.

    • Spoken words inside the speech marks.
    • The punctuation goes inside too.
  2. 211+ standard

    "Did you lock the gate?" asked Mum. "Definitely," said Ellis, not quite meeting her eyes.

    • What he says: yes. How he says it: he's lying.
    • Now the reader suspects trouble.
  3. 311+ standard

    Cut the chit-chat: "Hi." "Hi." "How are you?" "Good, you?"

    • Real small talk is dull on the page.
    • Jump to the line that matters.
  4. 411+ standard

    "It's gone," Tara said. She held up the empty cage.

    • "Said" is fine.
    • An action after the speech carries the feeling.

The common mistake

The mistake

Use lots of dialogue, with a fancy word instead of "said" every time.

Instead

Keep dialogue short and purposeful; "said" is fine, and actions carry the feeling.

Why: Long conversations slow a story down, and constant fancy verbs distract the reader.

Where it comes up in the 11+

Story tasks: a little sharp dialogue, punctuated correctly, impresses markers.

The video

Video coming soon

We're making a short video that explains dialogue that moves the story on step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.

Free printable

Dialogue that moves the story on worksheet

Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.

Download the worksheet (PDF)

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Quick quiz

Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.

  1. 1. Which is punctuated correctly?

    • "Look out!" shouted Mo.
    • "Look out"! shouted Mo.
    • Look out! "shouted Mo."
    • "Look out! shouted Mo."
    Show the answer

    "Look out!" shouted Mo.

    Only the spoken words go inside, with their punctuation.

  2. 2. When do you start a new line in dialogue?

    • When a new person speaks
    • After every five words
    • Only at the end
    • Never
    Show the answer

    When a new person speaks

    New speaker, new line, so the reader always knows who's talking.

  3. 3. Which line of dialogue moves the story on most?

    • "Hello, how are you?"
    • "Nice weather today."
    • "Someone has been in my room."
    • "Yes, I'm fine, thanks."
    Show the answer

    "Someone has been in my room."

    It creates a mystery and a problem to solve.