Inverted commas

For grown-ups: this lesson in words

Years 3 to 6 · English

Inverted commas: I can put inverted commas around the words someone says, with a capital letter and the comma inside.

1. Mum is speaking. The words someone says out loud are called direct speech.

   Mum's spoken words are “Come in”.

   “said Mum” tells us who is speaking. We call it the reporting clause.

   Picture: The sentence "“Come in” said Mum.", with "Come in" marked as direct speech.

2. Inverted commas go around the spoken words. Some people call them speech marks.

   The opening marks go just before Come. The closing marks go just after the last spoken word, in.

   “said Mum” stays outside the marks, because Mum did not say those words.

   Picture: The sentence "“Come in” said Mum.", with the speech mark and the speech mark underlined.

3. The spoken words are a new sentence, so the first spoken word needs a capital letter.

   “come” becomes “Come”.

   Picture: The sentence "“Come in” said Mum.", with "Come" given a capital letter.

4. Your turn: Mei says Look at my kite. Which sentence puts the inverted commas in the right place?

   Choose one:

   • “Look at my kite,” said Mei.
   • “Look at my kite, said Mei.”
   • Look at my kite, “said Mei.”

   Answer

   The answer: “Look at my kite,” said Mei.

   “Look at my kite,” said Mei. The marks go around Mei's words only.

Words to know

inverted commas:

The marks that go around the words someone says. Some people call them speech marks.

direct speech:

The exact words someone says out loud.

reporting clause:

The words that tell us who is speaking, like said Mum.