Lesson 1 — The English Phrases Must be Natural and True to Context

The quality of dialogue in English depends on whether it truly expresses the personality and character of the speakers. It must also be true in tone and style to the context. Idioms can bring expansive, imaginative potential to informal English dialogue. Their absence may produce spiritless dialogue with no emotion, competently dry and factual and utterly uninteresting. Two short dialogues aptly illustrate this contrast.– Click here for full Lesson

Lesson 2 — Conflict Energizes the Conversation

Your purpose is to illuminate the characters and advance the plot. But you must avoid flat, boring conversation. One surefire way is to introduce conflict in the dialogue. Another way to expand imaginative boundaries and intensify the language emotionally is to use idioms. Idioms and exaggeration can be used to break free from dreary realism. “Just the facts” might put you to sleep. — Click here for full Lesson

Lesson 3 — Interior Monologue Intensifies the Narrative

In English fiction we have a mixture of dialogue and narrative, and the dialogue is true to our characters but the narrative is usually in the authorial voice. By changing that voice to a more instinctive inner voice of a character, we can intensify the reader experience considerably. This voice is called interior monologue and may have surprising power. — Click here for full Lesson

Lesson 4 — Punctuation

Punctuation in American English dialogue has a few rules, but it’s not difficult. It must be mastered. The most important rule is to enclose the words spoken and all punctuation between open and close quotes, like this:

“Hi, Jeremy. What’s new with you?” Click here for full Lesson.

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