Questions and Answers
When should direct speech be used?
To develop characters and their personalities in fiction
At what age do children typically learn about direct speech and its rules?
7-8
Where should punctuation be placed in direct speech?
Inside the speech marks
Study Notes
Direct Speech: Rules and Examples
- Direct speech relays the exact words spoken and is indicated by quotation marks or inverted commas.
- Direct speech is used in fiction to develop characters and their personalities.
- Indirect speech reports what someone has said without fully writing the speech.
- Children typically learn about direct speech at age seven to eight and learn its rules.
- Punctuation is used to separate dialogue from the rest of the text, and direct speech should be placed inside speech marks.
- Some writers use double speech marks, while others use single speech marks, but consistency is key.
- Each time a new person speaks, a new line should be taken to help readers follow the dialogue.
- Each new line of direct speech should start with a capital letter.
- Reporting clauses indicate who is speaking and are not always necessary if it is clear who is speaking.
- Punctuation should be inside the speech marks at the end of each section of direct speech.
- If there is a reporting clause, there should be a comma before the final speech marks, and a full stop should come after the reporting clause.
- Reporting clauses can be placed in the middle of a piece of direct speech, and punctuation still goes inside the speech marks of the first section.
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