HOW TO WRITE A DIALOGUE - METHOD + AN EXAMPLE

HOW TO WRITE A DIALOGUE

1. Déterminez le niveau de langue demandé.

2. Vous pouvez, si vous le souhaitez, présenter brièvement le lieu, le moment de la scène, ainsi que les principaux personnages.

3. Dans ce cas, sautez une ligne entre l’introduction et le dialogue.

4. Respectez la ponctuation (guillemets, points d’exclamation, d’interrogation) et allez à la ligne pour chaque changement de locuteur. Pas de TIRETS !

5. Variez les verbes introducteurs (toujours au prétérit) et étoffez vos phrases avec des adverbes:

Les verbes :

SPEAK	SPEAK IN A LOUD VOICE	SPEAK TO EXPRESS FEELINGS
He said – he added – he replied – he exclaimed – he retorted – he wondered – he declared – he asked – he answered – he repeated – he explained – he whispered (chuchoter)	He yelled – he screamed – he shouted	He laughed – he complained – he sighed (soupirer) – he sobbed (sangloter) – he insisted – he threatened (menacer)

body language

he frowned  (froncer les sourcils), he  nodded (faire un signe de tête, acquiescer), he smiled,  he stared at her(fixer qqn/qqch), he shrugged (hausser les épaules), he shook his head (secouer la tête)

Les adverbes

angrily, anxiously, bitterly (amèrement), cheerfully (joyeusement) curiously (avec curiosité), desperately, furiously, gratefully (avec gratitude), impatiently, kindly , calmly, (gentiment), loudly (d’une voix forte), proudly, quietly (calmement), sadly, scornfully (avec mépris), shyly (timidement), sincerely…

DIALOGUE

« Elliot ! Elliot ! You wouldn’t believe what just happened !” Dana said excitedly.

“What is it? Are you ok, Dana? You poor thing, you look terribly pale” her neighbour exclaimed, looking at her anxiously. 

“Yes, I’m ok. Well at least, I am now. The strangest thing just happened. I came back from the supermarket with two huge bags of groceries and also all my money for the rent. I had just managed get into the building when I heard this guy behind me say: “Give me all your money!”. Dana was still shaking as she told the story.

“Oh my gosh!” Elliot replied. He was almost speechless. 

“But then I started saying to myself, I can’t give this bloke all my money or I’ll have none left for the rent. So I said: “no, go away”, Dana added, more calmly now.

 “You didn’t. Oh dear, what happened next?”, Elliot couldn’t wait to hear the rest of the story.” 

I just kept saying “no, go away! I haven’t got any money. And then you know what happened?” Dana was now enjoying herself. She went on, “he just left, without another word”. 

Elliot stared at her. “Just like that?” He just couldn’t believe his ears.

 “Yes, just like that! Don’t you think that’s crazy? All I did was stay calm and controlled. I just couldn’t stop thinking: “I can’t give him my money, I need it.” And it worked.” Dana couldn’t help feeling rather proud of herself. 

“Wow, that’s really funny! Good for you for sticking up for yourself. He must’ve had a real shock. A vulnerable woman, faced with a knife, keeping it together,” Elliot looked at her admiringly. 

Dana blushed. “Now I’m going to pay my rent before someone else tries to steal it off me,” she said briskly.

 Her neighbour nodded. “Good thinking. And I’ll remember to call you anytime someone tries to rob me”! 

Dana burst out laughing. “ Any time! See you later Elliot”.

ENTRAINEMENT COMPREHENSION ORALE

Open the following link - pick a topic - pick an accent and speed (levels 5 or 6) and listen to the recording

This is good practice for your exam!

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

BANKSY's RESIDENCE IN NY: 3 PIECES

Banksy : photo of an artwork by Banksy which can be seen in the Bronx

Space - street setting: a plain brick wall, a metal shutter, an old sofa

an underprivileged neighbourhood

on the wall: a stencil: a butler wearing white gloves, holding a tray with spay cans on it, waiting on a little boy (his master) from a wealthy/affluent family – the child has spray painted the words Ghetto4life on the wall,

Exchange: a man who presumably lives in the area is guarding the artwork which is valuable as it was done by a world-famous street artist: his presence adds to the irony of the piece. He is the one who will probably be in the ghetto for life. It is like a gift from the artist to a neighbourhood that could never afford his artwork (it fetches hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction sales). Thanks to the artist, the world of the privileged and the world of the underprivileged exist in the same space. In addition, the piece attracted many people to the neighbourhood, so they explored a place they would never have visited otherwise, In reality they are worlds apart. Artists like Banksy promote exchanges by investing public spaces (the street = a huge canvas, an open air museum)

the Bronx, on October 21, 2013 – a tray (plateau) – a butler (majordome) – spray cans – white gloves – a security guard – to spray-paint – a rope (cordon)

Banksy : photo of an artwork by Banksy which can be seen in Brooklyn

This piece represents 2 Japanese women on a bridge wearing a kimono, carrying a fan), there is also a small bonsai  at the bottom. it’s a stencil. The graffiti was done on a wall in Brooklyn. This artwork triggered various reactions: we saw a picture of  a rival graffiti artist trying  to deface the work, he spray painted squiggles over the 2 feminine figures. He may have been jealous or maybe he hated Banksy’s work. Several other graffiti artists reacted negatively, because they considered that Banksy was trespassing and invading their turf, their territory. At the same time, there are 2 men who intervene and try to stop the artist from vandalising the piece.

After that, the owner of the building decided to protect/preserve Banksy’s work and he put some plexiglass over it and installed a metal shutter to protect it at night. There is also a man who is guarding the piece. Now people come and take pictures of it. Someone even offered the owner of the building a million dollars to take down the bricks in the wall but he refused (he turned down the offer). Banksy’s pieces are worth tens of thousands of dollars (at auction sales). On the pictures we studied, someone had written “value is arbitrary” next to the graffiti. This sort of thing would not be possible in a museum.

Street art promotes exchanges for better or for worse.

The Twin Towers (the World Trade Center)

A graffiti located in Lower Manhattan: it represents the twin towers, it’s a very small piece done at the bottom of a wall covered with other graffiti. What makes the piece striking is the red flower that Banksy stuck the top of one of the buildings. It’s a real flower. It symbolises the explosion, the moment when the plane hit the tower. It is also a way to pay tribute to all the victims of 9/11. This piece attracted a lot of attention. People flocked to see it and take pictures. Others added comments, people put lighted candles and flowers on the sidewalk. So this artwork really triggered all kinds of reactions. There is even a man who came every day to put a fresh flower on the drawing. Later it was painted over, so now it is gone (it doesn’t exist anymore), like most street art, it is ephemeral, short-lived.