dialogue

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The spoken words between characters in a book, play or film.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable in this sense: the dialogue was witty.

   Patterns

   • write dialogue
   • the dialogue between characters

   The novel is praised for its sharp, realistic dialogue.

   She wrote the dialogue for the new comedy series.

   Much of the dialogue in the film was improvised.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   A serious conversation or exchange of views between people or groups, often to solve a problem.

   Grammar: Often with with or between: a dialogue with the union.

   Patterns

   • dialogue with someone
   • dialogue between groups
   • open a dialogue

   The two countries opened a dialogue to end the dispute.

   The school encourages dialogue between parents and teachers.

   There has been little dialogue between the union and the company.

3. 3nouncountable

   A written work in the form of a conversation, such as one used in philosophy or language teaching.

   Grammar: Countable: a dialogue, three dialogues.

   Patterns

   • a dialogue between X and Y

   The textbook has a short dialogue at a restaurant for students to practice.

   Plato wrote many of his works as dialogues.

   She read a dialogue between a teacher and a student.

Word forms

Common combinations

open dialogue

The manager encouraged open dialogue in the team.

engage in dialogue

Both sides agreed to engage in dialogue.

meaningful dialogue

The talks led to meaningful dialogue.

snappy dialogue

The film is full of snappy dialogue.

dialogue box

A dialogue box popped up on the screen.

dialogue with

The council entered into dialogue with local residents.

Synonyms and how they differ

conversation

Conversation is any talk between people, while dialogue often suggests a purposeful or written exchange.

discussion

A discussion is talk about a topic among several people, while dialogue stresses the exchange between two sides.

talks

Talks are formal negotiations, while dialogue suggests a more open exchange of views.

exchange

An exchange can be a short swap of words, while dialogue is a longer or more structured conversation.

Opposites

Word family

dialogic adjective

of or in the form of dialogue

dialog noun

American variant spelling, common in computing as dialog box

monologue noun

a long speech by one person

interdialogue noun

rare word for exchange between groups

Commonly confused: dialogue or monologue?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dialogue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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