Inverted commas (speech marks) · Grade 3
Speech marks (inverted commas) go around the exact words someone says: “Come here,” said Dad. The punctuation of the speech stays inside the speech marks, and each new speaker starts on a new line. British books often use single marks ('Come here,' said Dad.); both are correct.
Key facts
- Only the spoken words go inside: “I'm hungry,” said Leo. (Leo says I'm hungry).
- Speaker after the speech: a statement ends with a comma inside the marks: “It's late,” said Mia. A question or exclamation keeps its mark: “Where are you?” asked Mia. “Stop!” shouted Mia.
- Speaker first: a comma before the speech marks, and the speech ends with its own mark: Mia said, “It's late.”
- The spoken words start with a capital letter: Omar asked, “Can we play outside?”
- New speaker, new line: each time a different person speaks, start a new line.