Characterisation & dialogue
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Question
What is characterisation?
Answer
How a writer builds a person on the page.
Question
What is dialogue?
Answer
The words characters speak to each other.
Question
‘Show, don't tell’ — what does it mean?
Answer
Reveal character through action, not a flat label.
Question
How does dialogue reveal character?
Answer
What they say and how they say it shows who they are.
Question
What does a character's action show?
Answer
Their real nature — often more than any description.
Question
Why watch for a gap between words and actions?
Answer
The clash reveals the truth a character hides.
Question
What does clipped, one-word dialogue suggest?
Answer
Distance, reluctance or hidden feeling.
Question
How do you analyse characterisation?
Answer
Quote a detail + say what it shows about the person.
Question
Direct vs indirect characterisation?
Answer
Direct tells us (‘she was kind’); indirect shows it through action.
Question
Commonest characterisation mistake?
Answer
Labelling a character without the detail that shows it.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Characterisation & dialogue
Topic 1.6 hub
Structure & narrative
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English A Lang & Lit exam skills
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