Narrative Writing — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
Liam said I can't believe we won the game!
Corrected: Liam said, "I can't believe we won the game!"
Direct speech must be surrounded by quotation marks, and a comma is needed after the dialogue tag 'said' before the opening quotation mark. These punctuation marks signal to readers that a character is speaking aloud.
2. Fix the sentence:
"Watch out"! shouted the lifeguard.
Corrected: "Watch out!" shouted the lifeguard.
Punctuation that belongs to the spoken words — including exclamation marks — goes inside the closing quotation mark. The shout itself is exciting, so the exclamation point is part of what was said.
3. Fix the sentence:
The garden was nice and had some flowers.
Corrected: The garden was filled with bright red roses, and the sweet smell of lavender floated through the warm air.
Words like 'nice' and 'some' are vague and do not help the reader picture the garden. Adding colors, smells, and specific flowers brings the scene to life with sensory details.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Dialogue is the words that characters speak in a story.
Dialogue is the actual spoken words — the lines a character says out loud. These words are what get placed inside quotation marks.
2. Sensory details describe what a character can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch .
There are five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — and 'touch' is the one missing from the list. Sensory details pull from all five to make a scene vivid.
3. Quotation marks go around the exact words a character says.
Quotation marks open before and close after the spoken words, wrapping around them like a pair of bookends. This shows the reader exactly which words were said aloud.
4. Descriptive details help the reader picture the scene in their mind.
Good description creates a mental picture so readers can 'see' the story without actually being there. The more specific the detail, the clearer the picture.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Why do authors use dialogue in narrative writing?
Sample answer: Authors use dialogue to show what characters are thinking and feeling, to move the plot forward, and to make the story feel more real and lively.
Dialogue reveals personality through word choice and tone, shares information between characters, and breaks up long stretches of description. It makes a story feel alive instead of summarized.
2. Give an example of a sensory detail that describes a sound.
Sample answer: The thunder rumbled loudly across the sky, shaking the windows of the old house. This helps the reader hear what is happening in the story.
'Rumbled' is a specific sound word that lets the reader hear the thunder, and 'shaking the windows' adds the feeling of its power. Strong sound words target the sense of hearing.