Wing McCallister
My tutor marked me down for using semi colons in dialogue because they didn't look right. I guess they do look a little blocky but is it really an error? ---& Semi-colons are best used sparingly. It's hard to say if it is an error without the actual sentence. However, using them over and over again is generally considered a no-no.
He also didn't like the word " slitted " to describe pupils as it read as though they were cut with a blade. I thought it was a common description for one with thin oval pupils that resembled a cat's or snake's. Am I incorrect? ----& By the definition, it is something cut into long, narrow strips. Artistic license?
The third thing that I am unsure about is using descriptive dialogue tags, by which I mean instead of saying "he said" it could be "he growled" or "he moaned" or "he yelped" etc. The tutor insists that the tone of dialogue needs to be obvious enough that one could forever use 'he said' with no issue. I think that using 'said' in every instance would become tiresome and stale, but he is a tutor and has been doing it for years so I don't know what to think. ---& Your tutor is dull. lol You should use the verb that best describes the dialogue. If the character yelps, then he should yelp. lol
As for what to do about 'marking down' None of these seem worth arguing about. If the tutor doesn't like them, the tutor doesn't like 'em. You kind of have to play the game a bit with this one.
1. It was one sentence in a 500 word piece "No; just leave it alone," TLM told me that a comma is incorrect in cases like this one, but a period seems too long of a pause. I just agreed to avoid using them in dialogue in the future.
2. *shrugs* PK's suggestion of elliptical seems fitting. When asked what word he would suggest instead of 'slitted', he couldn't come up with anything.
3. Maybe I will just use verbs in dialogue tags sparingly. I tend to use them quite a lot because I wrote a piece where everything was 'said' and it was boring as ********. I kind of agree with PK in part though: 'said' is easily read over without much thought, whereas stronger verbs might lose their power if used too much. I don't just mean repetition of the same verb but if all verbs are strong, then there isn't any contrast or tension if/ when it is needed.
Thanks Wing.