Punctuating speech
You learn the mark that goes inside the inverted commas.
How to do the test
- Decide what the spoken words do: tell, ask or exclaim.
- A question takes a question mark.
- Strong feeling takes an exclamation mark.
- A statement takes a comma if the speaker comes next, and a full stop at the end.
A worked example
Type the missing mark inside the inverted commas. "I am hungry ___" said Tom.
- The spoken words are a statement and the speaker comes next, so use a comma.
- The mark goes inside the inverted commas.
- The missing mark is a comma.
More examples
Type the missing mark inside the inverted commas. Dad said, "We are late ___"
- The spoken words are a statement and they end the sentence, so use a full stop.
- The mark goes inside the inverted commas.
- The missing mark is a full stop.
Type the missing mark inside the inverted commas. Gran asked, "Would you like some tea ___"
- The spoken words ask something, so use a question mark.
- The mark goes inside the inverted commas.
- The missing mark is a question mark.
Try it yourself
Type the missing mark inside the inverted commas.
"We will walk home ___" said Mum.
Type the missing mark inside the inverted commas.
"Can I come too ___" asked Ben.
Watch out
You put a full stop before said, as in "I am hungry." said Tom.
When the speaker comes next, the sentence is not over. Use a comma inside the inverted commas.
Tips
- The mark always goes inside the closing inverted commas.
Why it works
The end of the spoken words has a mark. A question takes a question mark and strong feeling takes an exclamation mark. A statement takes a comma if the speaker comes next and a full stop if the sentence ends there.