Enhancing your writing

Direct Speech and speech marks

Direct speech

When we use direct speech in our writing:

• The exact words spoken must be put inside

speech marks. “ ”• The first spoken word must have a capital

letter.

• When a new speaker begins, we must start a new line.

Direct speech

When we use direct speech in our writing:

• We need a piece of punctuation before the final speech mark.

• It will be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation mark – never a full stop unless it is at the very end of the sentence.

Direct speech

Here are some examples

of direct speech.

Direct Speech

I’ve hurt my leg!

“I’ve hurt my leg!” moaned the boy.

Direct speech

Can you take a deep breath?

“Can you take a deep breath?” asked the doctor.

You can put ‘who said it’ after the direct speech:

Direct speech

I like this dress.

The woman said, “I like this dress.”

Or you can put ‘who said it’ before the direct speech:

Direct speech

“If I stick out my tongue,” the woman explained, “I look very silly.”

If I stick out my tongue, I look very silly.

You can even put ‘who said it’ in the middle of a sentence if you want to make an interesting sentence:

Use the correct punctuation to write what is being said.

I’ve caught three fish.

The train will leave in ten

minutes!

Do you know what

type of angle

this is?

I love ice cream.

I am a clever girl.

Direct Speech