Speech marks (also called inverted commas) go around the exact words someone says. They help readers tell the difference between what a character says and what the narrator tells us.
What your child will learn
- Put speech marks around the words that are spoken
- Put punctuation inside the closing speech marks
- Start spoken words with a capital letter
- Choose interesting words instead of “said”
Inside the speech marks
Only the spoken words go inside the speech marks, and so does their punctuation: “Come here,” said Mum. The comma, question mark or exclamation mark sits inside, just before the closing marks.
Swapping “said” for words like whispered, shouted or sobbed tells the reader how the words were spoken.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. True or false? Speech marks go around the words that are spoken.
Show answer
Answer: True. Just the spoken words go inside.
2. Which words does Ravi say? “I love pizza!” shouted Ravi.
- I love pizza!
- pizza shouted
- shouted Ravi
- Ravi
Show answer
Answer: I love pizza!. The spoken words are inside the speech marks.
3. Which word is best instead of “said” for someone speaking very loudly?
- sighed
- mumbled
- whispered
- shouted
Show answer
Answer: shouted. Shouting is speaking very loudly.
Tips for grown-ups
- Look at a comic: the words in speech bubbles are what goes inside speech marks.
- Read a dialogue aloud with different voices for each speaker.