Character Voices for Reading Dialogue
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Character Voices for Reading Dialogue
Do you want to find out how to identify the dialogue in a story and how to voice act a character? Learn about reading dialogue and creating a character voice through our video and article!
Dialogue in Stories – Definition
When you read stories or chapter books, you can often see dialogue.
Dialogue is a part of a text in which two or more characters talk to each other. You can identify dialogue by looking for inverted commas, sometimes called speech marks.
If a character is talking alone or to themselves, we call this a monologue, as a dialogue needs to include two people or more.
Inverted commas are used to signal dialogue in a text. For example:
In the sentence, ”Hello, I am Ari.” there are inverted commas at the beginning and at the end of the sentence. This signals that this sentence is dialogue.
Usually, dialogue tells you which character is talking, either before or after the speech. Have a look at the example:
In the first sentence Ari said, “Hello.”, the name of a character stands before the speech, while in the second sentence “Hello.” Ari said., it comes after. Both sentences have exactly the same meaning and help us identify that the character named Ari is talking.
How to Do Character Voices when Reading Dialogues
Each character in a book has a unique character’s voice – a specific way they talk in a story. When reading dialogue, it is best to read dialogue with expression and to voice act characters. This makes reading more fun for both the reader and the audience!
There are three simple steps you can follow during dialogue reading practice to use character voices effectively:
| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Pause and identify which character is talking. |
Ask yourself: “What does that character sound like?” |
Read in a matching voice for the character. |
Let’s take a look at the example:
The old professor said, “I can’t believe you made this experiment all by yourselves!”
First, let’s identify which character is talking. We know that it is an old professor because this is what the text tells us. Then, we ask ourselves, how the character is talking. The old professor might have a deep voice, and in this sentence he sounds surprised. We can identify this with the help of clues from the text – he can’t believe, which means he is surprised. Finally, we can read the dialogue with the matching voice for the character.
Character Voices for Reading Dialogue – Summary
Let’s review what we learned about character voices for reading dialogue.
Dialogue is a part of a story in which two or more characters talk to each other. Dialogue can be identified by the presence of inverted commas. The word, sentence, or several sentences inside the inverted commas tell you what the character is saying.
To read in a voice for the character, follow the three steps: identify who is talking, think to yourself, “How does this character talk?”, and read the dialogue in a matching voice for the character.
Now you know a lot about character voices for reading dialogue. Watch our video to hear character voice examples and practice more!
Frequently Asked Questions about Character Voices for Reading Dialogue
Transcript Character Voices for Reading Dialogue
"And so the young girl said 'Why yes, I would love to buy some of your cookies.' She picked up some cookies to buy, “You're the only one who has bought my cookies today,' the baker exclaimed happily.” “I can't sleep unless you do the voices!" Let's join Ari's bedtime story, as we learn all about character voices for reading dialogue. When reading stories, we often see dialogue. Dialogue tells you when a character is talking in a story. Inverted commas, sometimes called speech marks, are used to signal dialogue in a text. This is how you know when there is dialogue, or speech, happening! The word, sentence or sentences inside the quotation marks, tell you what that character is saying. Sometimes, dialogue doesn't tell you who is talking, but usually it tells you who is talking before the speech, or after the speech. Why is it important to be able to identify dialogue in a story? It helps you to become a more fluent reader! To read in a voice for the character, first, pause and identify which character is talking. Secondly, think to yourself, how is the character talking? Thirdly, read in a matching voice for the character! Let's practise using the first dialogue that was read by Zayd. The first dialogue was, 'And so the young girl said, “Why yes, I would love to buy some of your cookies.”’ First, we think, which character is talking? We know it is the young girl because the text tells us here. Secondly, we think, how is the character talking? ‘Said' doesn't tell us a lot, so we look at the dialogue itself for clues. Since the girl said, 'I would love', we can add a positive tone to the voice! Now, Zayd can match his voice to the character as he reads! ‘And so the young girl said, “Why yes, I would love to buy some of your cookies.”’ Now let's take a look at the other dialogue from the story, and see if you can follow the steps to read in character voices! It says, ‘She picked up some cookies to buy. “You're the only one who has bought my cookies today”, the baker exclaimed happily.' Which character is talking here? The baker is talking, because after the dialogue it says the baker exclaimed. How is the character talking? Here it says 'happily', so we can read it in a happy voice. Let's listen to Zayd read in a matching voice for the character now! ‘She picked up some cookies to buy. "You're the only one who has bought my cookies today!" the baker exclaimed happily.’ While Zayd finishes reading to Ari, let's review! Today, we learnt about character voices for dialogue. To read in a voice for the character, first, pause and identify which character is talking. Then, think to yourself, how is the character talking? Finally, read in a matching voice for the character! "Keep reading, Zayd!" "Oh no! I guess those character voices were hard work.”
Character Voices for Reading Dialogue exercise
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What does dialogue tell you?
HintsInverted commas or speech marks are found around dialogue.
The words inside the inverted commas tell you what that character is saying.
SolutionDialogue tells you when a character is speaking.
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Does the sentence use dialogue?
HintsInverted commas are used to signal dialogue in a text. This is how you know when there is a dialogue, or speech, happening.
The words inside the inverted commas tell you what the character is saying.
SolutionWe know these sentences use dialogue because of the inverted commas. These sentences have dialogue:
- "I hope the bedtime story is not scary." Ari said nervously.
- "I can't wait to learn all of these new recipes to cook!" Zayd shouted excitedly.
- Nervously and excitedly can help us with our character voices.
- Ari wants to be a magician because they like to do cool tricks.
- Zayd is reading a book about planting a garden.
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Is the reader using a character voice?
HintsIn which of the sentences above would you expect to hear a positive character voice?
In which of the sentences above would you expect to hear a sad character voice?
SolutionThese sentences use character voices.
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How is the character feeling?
HintsLook at what the character is saying as well as what they sound like.
Would you be delighted if something you ate made you feel sick?
Would you be feeling peaceful if you had a shock?
Solution- "I shouldn't have eaten that." This character feels unwell.
- "Oh! I didn't see you there!" This character feels surprised.
- "I don't understand." This character feels puzzled.
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How is this character feeling?
HintsLook at the options and listen to the dialogue again. Which word matches the character voice?
The dialogue says, "I love this ride so much!"
Do you think Sam is feeling sad or disappointed if the love the ride?
SolutionThe correct answer is excited.
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Highlight the parts of dialogue.
HintsHere is an example of how this text would be highlighted.
The baker is the character who is speaking and happily is how the character is speaking.
There are four dialogue sentences to highlight in green.
SolutionHere is the text highlighted correctly.
- green highlight: the dialogue
- yellow highlight: which character is speaking
- blue highlight: how the character is speaking
