Giving Characters Their Own Voices

Reading dialogue aloud means sounding like the character who is speaking.

Dialogue is the talking in a story, set off by quotation marks. When you read it aloud, you become each character for a moment. Use clues from the story to decide how they sound: their age, their mood, and what is happening. Read this: 'I'm not scared,' said the little brother, gripping the flashlight. 'Me neither,' said his sister, her voice shaking.

The brother's words say he is brave, but gripping the flashlight shows he is nervous, so a small, tight voice fits. The sister's voice is described as shaking, so let yours tremble a little. You don't need silly cartoon voices. Small changes in speed, loudness, and tone are enough for listeners to hear two different people and feel the scene.

• 1Dialogue is what characters say, inside quotation marks.
• 2Story clues tell you how a character should sound.
• 3Small changes in speed, loudness, and tone are enough.