Lesson 3.03 Character Connection

Writing Exercises

Read the passage below about Kelly, a girl who is visiting Sally O'Brien, her best friend. Mrs. O'Brien is Sally's grandmother. After you read the passage, complete the exercise at the end.

"Good morning, Mrs. O'Brien."

"Goodness, you scared me! Where did you come from?"

"Across the street, of course," Kelly said.

"Don't be fresh, Kelly. How many times have I asked you to use the doorbell?" Mrs. O'Brien rubbed her red, puffy eyes, and turned back to folding the tumble of fresh-smelling laundry in front of her.

"I suppose you want to see Sally," said Mrs. O'Brien, keeping her back to Kelly. "Well, I am afraid she's not feeling up to having visitors today."

"Again?" Kelly thought, twisting the loose strands of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. She knew she should probably just leave without a fuss. Ever since the funeral, it had been hard to talk to Sally anyway. All she did was sit in her room and play video games.

Kelly couldn't blame her. The O'Brien house just wasn't the same since Sally's mom died. Before then, Kelly never had to ring the bell. She just threw open the door and shouted for Sally to come out and play.

While she was waiting, Sally's mom would greet her with a hug and maybe offer her a cookie that was still warm from the oven. "Kelly, what are you standing there for?" snapped Mrs. O'Brien, "Didn't you hear me? You can't see Sally today!"

At that moment, something inside Kelly snapped. She was sick of Mrs. O'Brien and her sour face. Sally was her best friend, and Kelly needed to make sure that she was okay. She was going to see her today - NOW.

Match each sentence in the table below to the type of indirect characterization technique being used. To check your answers, select the Check Answers button.

STATEMENT	TECHNIQUE
..... Mrs. O'Brien doesn't want Kelly there.	1. Through the character's speech.
..... Kelly thinks that Mrs. O'Brien has a sour face.	1. Through the character's speech.
..... Mrs. O'Brien has been crying.	1. Through the character's speech.
..... Kelly is concerned about Sally.	1. Through the character's speech.
..... Kelly is wearing a ponytail.	1. Through the character's speech.

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Characters

For each example, choose the sentence that best describes the image. One sentence uses direct characterization and the other sentence uses indirect characterization.

Example #1

1. Because he was running late, John impatiently took the stairs. 2. Huffing and puffing, John raced passed three of his colleagues, took the stairs instead of the elevator, and punched the time card with three seconds to spare.

Example #2

1. The patient biker had to stop in the middle of her ride to answer the phone. 2. With a smile on her face, Lisa stopped, pulled her bike to the side of the road, and answered the phone.

Example #3

1. Archie is annoyed with his owner for putting a red boa around his neck. 2. The dog growled when his owner put the red boa around his neck.

Example #4

1. The adventurous pilot decided to go for a ride. 2. After making a few small paper planes, the pilot put on his helmet, found a huge piece of paper, and raced to the tarmac.

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