Direct speech is where you say exactly what was said.
e.g. When he saw the big, hairy monster he screamed, “Argh!”
Reported speech is where you simply say something was said.
e.g.When he saw the big, hairy monster, he screamed wildly.
The Rules
- You must start a new line when a new person speaks.
- You must use speech marks around the words that a person says.
For example: “Hello,” said the big, hairy monster. -
When introducing speech, use a comma to separate the speaker from the speech.
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The start of the speech must have a capital letter (unless it is carrying on from something said earlier).
For Example: “Are you scared of me?” asked the big, hairy monster. “Maybe,” replied Tom, “you are very big and very hairy.” - The words after speech do not need a capital letter even after a capital letter or exclamation mark.
For example: “Why don’t you want to be my friend?” sobbed the monster. “I’m so sorry!” Tom sobbed. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” - The end of the speech must have a punctuation mark inside the speech marks.
Now You Try
Write this passage out, adding speech marks where it is needed.
By this time the monster was sobbing uncontrollably. I don’t deserve this, he wailed. You’re so mean! All I did was say hello.
I’ve said I’m sorry, replied Tom, why don’t a try to cheer you up?
Ok, said the monster. Tom then proceeded to tell the big, hairy monster lots of jokes until eventually a huge smile spread across his big, hairy face. Thank you, Tom, the monster smiled. You’ve made me a very happy monster after all.