Past tense and Dialogue Tag lesson:
Wed. Aug. 21st/’13
DO NOW: ~ Past tense ~
Past Tense vs. Present tense
I looked at the door. I look at the door.
He saw me outside. He sees me outside.
I felt excited. I feel excited.
Revising Tense:
Memories are from the past and have already happened.
Your stories should be written in past tense.
The only time you can use present tense during a memory, is in dialogue.
When you use quotation marks around somebody speaking, that needs to be in Present tense.
The difference ---
PRESENT TENSE
I sit down at the table and look at him. He tries to ask me something.
“Will you do something for me?” Nick asks. I try to not smile as much as I want to.
VS.
Ex. PAST TENSE
I sat down at the table and looked at him. He tried to ask me something.
“Will you do something for me?” Nick asked. I tried to not smile as much as I wanted to.
~~~~
PAST TENSE:
Notice action words (verbs); they always end in ‘ed’ when you’re using past tense.
looked; asked; tried; wanted; wondered.
Correct these sentences so that they read in
past tense:
Ex.
I hear them coming so I freeze up.
I heard them coming so I froze up.
The food looks like it is going to hit me.
The food looked like it was going to hit me.
He screams, “Why are you looking at me!”
He screamed, “Why are you looking at me!”
I wonder why the teacher thinks it is me.
I wondered why the teacher thought it was me.
STORIES in Past Tense with keeping Dialogue in present tense:
Past = bold
Present = underlined
Nick looked at me and that’s all it took for me to say yes.
“Okay, I’ll start the food fight,” I told him.
“We will join in too,” Nick replied. I knew I could get in trouble but I also wanted Nick to like me.
“You guys better throw when I throw,” I said to the boys.
[copy down]
Helpful Past Tense words à
PAST PRESENT
WAS = IS.
WERE = ARE.
FELT = FEEL.
COULDN’T = CAN’T.
SAW = SEE.
MADE = MAKE.
Independent work:
-Go through your story and make sure that everything is written in past tense (except for dialogue, which is in present tense).
Tips à Change action words to an ‘ed’ ending.
Ex. (looked, tried, screamed, saw, heard, told, felt…)
WE WERE WALKING is the same as WE WALKED
Mini-lesson #2 à
Dialogue Tags (other ways to say ‘said’)
Using the best possible ‘Dialogue tag’ when writing a Conversation.
#1
“I hate you so much,” she said.
Vs.
“I hate you so much!” she screamed.
#2
“I can’t believe you farted in front of everyone,” he said.
Vs.
“I can’t believe you farted in front of everyone,” he laughed.
#3
“Be on my team,” she said.
Vs.
“Be on my team,” she suggested.
CHANGE TO?
“What were you thinking,” she said.
Vs.
“What were you thinking?” she asked.
“I never want to see you again,” he said.
Vs.
“I never want to see you again!” he shouted.
“You look ridiculous,” she said.
Vs.
“You look ridiculous,” she giggled.
Write down this title. Try to list as many Dialogue Tags as you can think of.
DIALOGUE TAGS: (other ways to say ‘said’ or ‘told)
-asked
-pleaded
-begged
-cried
-whined
-whispered
-muttered
-interrupted
-shouted
-explained
-replied
-mumbled
-stuttered
-threatened
-hollered
-screamed
-suggested
-questioned
-argued
-frowned
-shared
-grinned
-confessed
-persuaded
-recommended
*GO THROUGH YOUR STORY, changing some of your ‘saids’ and ‘tolds’ to different Dialogue Tags.