SPaG Catch-Up Resource Pack
Punctuation: Speech Marks
Speech marks show us when direct speech is being used in writing. There are several rules for
getting them right:
1. Put speech marks around the text that is speech.
2. If you are following with a speech tag (he cried, she said, etc.), and the sentence in speech
finishes with a full stop, change it to a comma.
3. If the sentence in speech marks ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, don’t change
it to a comma.
4. If your speech tag comes after your speech, it should always start with a lower-case letter.
5. If your speech tag comes before your speech, it should have a comma after it.
Examples:
“Hey, that’s my dog.”
“Hey, that’s my dog,” she said.
“Hey, that’s my dog!” she said.
She said, “Hey, that’s my dog!”
“Hey, that’s my dog!” she said, “Give it back!”
Can you punctuate the speech in these sentences correctly?
1. What are we having for dinner asked Jake hungrily.
2. The problem is he explained I need to meet with everyone involved.
3. I don’t believe it he cried.
4. Is there anything you can do to help me?
5. If you add two and two she said patiently you should always get four.
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Punctuation: Speech Marks
6. What’s the problem with Emily asked Leah.
7. How could you do this to me he demanded as he stamped his foot in frustration I have done
everything for you.
8. Jack laughed the alien invasion could happen at any moment.
9. Have you seen my pen asked Ellie it has a blue lid.
10. You have to concentrate when punctuating speech explained the teacher.
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SPaG Catch-Up Resource Pack
Punctuation: Speech Marks - Answers
1. What are we having for dinner asked Jake hungrily.
“What are we having for dinner?” asked Jake hungrily.
2. The problem is he explained I need to meet with everyone involved.
“The problem is,” he explained, “I need to meet with everyone involved.”
3. I don’t believe it he cried
“I don’t believe it!” he cried.
4. Is there anything you can do to help me?
“Is there anything you can do to help me?”
5. If you add two and two she said patiently you should always get four.
“If you add two and two,” she said patiently, “you should always get four.”
6. What’s the problem with Emily asked Leah.
“What’s the problem with Emily?” asked Leah.
7. How could you do this to me he demanded as he stamped his foot in frustration I have done
everything for you.
“How could you do this to me?” he demanded as he stamped his foot in frustration, “I
have done everything for you.”
8. Jack laughed the alien invasion could happen at any moment.
Jack laughed, “The alien invasion could happen at any moment.”
9. Have you seen my pen asked Ellie it has a blue lid.
“Have you seen my pen?” asked Ellie. “It has a blue lid.”
10. You have to concentrate when punctuating speech explained the teacher.
“You have to concentrate when punctuating speech,” explained the teacher.
