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Punctuation in direct speech

We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (") are preferred in American English, while single quotes (') are more common in British English:

" I'm coming home late tonight, " she said. (American English) ' I'm coming home late tonight, ' she said. (British English)

If we quote within direct speech, we use the other style for the embedded quotation:

"She said, ' I'm coming home late tonight ', " recalled Jim. (American English) 'She said, " I'm coming home late tonight ", ' recalled Jim. (British English)

As can be seen in the examples above, a comma ( , ) is used at the end of the quotation, before the closing speech mark.

A comma is also used before the quotation if we start the sentence with the reporting clause. In this case the terminal full stop (.) comes before the closing speech mark:

She added , "Don't expect me before 11 . "

If the quotation is a question or exclamation, the terminal marks ( ? and ! ) also come before the closing speech marks:

"Hurry up ! " he shouted. She asked, "Am I late ? "

The quotation normally begins with a capital letter, except if it is interrupted by a reporting clause, in which case the first letter of the continuation is not capitalised:

" I 'm coming home late tonight," she said and added, " d on't expect me before 11."

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English lessons and resources

Direct speech writing rules in English

7th January 2019 by Andrew

In the above picture, Mark is talking to Jane. The words inside the blue box are the exact words that he speaks.

Here is how we express this:

This is direct speech. Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.

In this English lesson, you will learn:

• The rules for writing direct speech.
• The correct punctuation.
• Vocabulary to report direct speech.

Reporting clause before the direct speech

The reporting clause of direct speech is the short clause that indicates who is talking. It is the clause that is outside of the inverted commas. It is therefore not the words being spoken.

We can write the reporting clause either before or after the direct speech. If the reporting clause is before the direct speech, we write it as follows:

Grammar rules – If the reporting clause is before the direct speech:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause after the direct speech

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is after a question or exclamation:

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.

Advanced rules for direct speech

Sometimes we break up the direct speech into 2 parts:

The second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it is the same sentence as the first part of the direct speech.

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.

Vocabulary of direct speech

We have several names for the above punctuation marks:

Inverted commas Speech marks Quotation marks Quotes

Other reporting verbs

Here are some other useful reporting verbs:

reply (replied) ask (asked) shout (shouted) agree (agreed) comment (commented) admit (admitted)

They are often used for writing direct speech in books, newspapers and reports. It is more common to use them in reporting clauses after the direct speech.

“I really don’t like her dress,” she commented . “I don’t love you anymore,” he admitted .

Other English lessons

Private online English lessons How to pass the IELTS with a band 8 Adverbs of frequency Indefinite article “a” and “an” The prepositions FOR and SINCE All of our lessons

Direct speech video lesson

Reader Interactions

Matěj Formánek says

3rd November 2019 at 5:54 pm

How about this sentence: I know the satnav is wrong!” exclaimed Zena. – Why the subject and predicate are swapped? It’s sentence from textbook so I’m confused.

17th June 2020 at 4:07 pm

Can we write multiple sentences in direct speech that comes before reporting clause? In case if this is allowed, what punctuation mark should be used after the last sentence?

Example: “I entered the class room. As I did not find anybody there, I left the class room and went to buy a coffee.” explained the student to the teacher for his delay to come to the class.

Should the punctuation mark after the word coffee be comma instead of full stop?

Joaquim Barretto says

14th September 2020 at 1:25 pm

No full stop, but comma after the word coffee.

19th January 2021 at 2:34 pm

HI IM DAISY

courtney says

27th January 2021 at 12:07 pm

Clare Hatcher says

12th March 2021 at 9:55 am

Hello I like the layout of this – very clear. Just wondering if it is correct to use a comma in between two separate sentences in direct speech. I think that now in published material you find this instead. ‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘Let’s stay at home.’ Would appreciate your thoughts Thanks

27th March 2021 at 8:54 am

If I wrote something with a comma at the end to continue speech like this:

“Hello,” he waved to the new student, “what’s you’re name?”

Do I have to use a capital letter even if I’m continuing with a comma or is it lowercase?

Sylvia Edouard says

30th September 2023 at 9:17 am

Yes, you need to use a capital letter as speech from someone has to start with a capital letter. Always.

15th April 2022 at 12:12 pm

which of the following is correct?

1. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document?”

2. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document,”? (comma inside)

3. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document.”? (full stop inside)

Jan Švanda says

7th September 2023 at 1:31 pm

I presume the quotation is there to specify the exact phrase (for the metadata entry). I also encounter this from time to time, when writing technical documentation. I believe in that case you should write the phrase as it is, proper grammar be damned; beautifully looking documentation is useless if it leads to incorrect results.

In this case, I don’t even think this is “direct speech”, the metadata entry isn’t walking around and saying things, the quotation mark is there to indicate precise phrase – similar to marking strings in programming languages. Because of this, I don’t think direct speech rules apply, or at least, they should take back seat. If the expected status includes full stop at the end, the sentence would be:

4. Should the status go missing when the metadata states “Sign & return document.”? (no comma before, since it is not a direct speech; full stop inside, as it is part of the quoted status)

From grammatical perspective the end looks a bit ugly, but again, if this should be technical documentation, that is less important than precision.

A person says

15th August 2022 at 7:16 pm

One extra thing: YOU MUST NOT USE THE WORD SAID IN A REPORTING CLAUSE. EVER. IT’S UNIMAGINATIVE.

no joke, it’s actually discouraged and even close to banned at my school

7th September 2023 at 1:49 pm

This is stupid. You shouldn’t use it in _every_ sentence, there should be variety, but outright banning it doesn’t make sense.

Case in point:

Book: ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Phrase to search: ‘,” said’ (comma, followed by quotation mark, followed by space, followed by word ‘said’). Number of occurrences: 211. Total number of ‘,”‘ (comma, followed by quotation mark) strings is 436, so “said” is used in almost 50% cases of direct speech of this type.

I don’t think it would be right for your school to ban Jane Austin, do you?

blaire says

30th March 2024 at 5:36 pm

How do you use names in direct speech?

Is it: “I really don’t like her dress,” Ashley said. or “I really don’t like her dress,” said Ashley.

I’ve seen both and I’m so confused which one is correct, please help me.

Andrew says

3rd April 2024 at 11:31 am

Hello and thanks for your comment and question.

After the direct speech, both are correct.

Before the direct speech, only the first one is correct:

Ashley said, “I really don’t like her dress.” (correct) Said Ashley, “I really don’t like her dress.” (wrong)

I hope that helps you. Andrew https://www.youtube.com/@CrownAcademyEnglish/

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Reported speech: direct speech

Direct speech is a representation of the actual words someone said. A direct speech report usually has a reporting verb in the past simple. The most common reporting verb is said . The reporting clause may come first or second.

The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:

“No,” she said , “I’ve never seen it before.”

‘Was it,’ he asked , ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’

We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:

“I will not accept it!” he said angrily .

‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously .

Reported speech: punctuation

Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses

Direct speech: inversion of subject and reporting verb

In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):

“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V] said [S] the old man .

‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V] cried [S] Maurice .

Direct speech: present simple and continuous reporting verbs

Informal narratives.

In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:

So then this guy says , “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says , “Open that.”

We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:

And he’s looking at me and he ’s asking , “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he ’s mumbling , “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons ( I, you, she, he, we, they ):

She says , ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says , ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’

Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.

Newspaper headlines

We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:

‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER

Say or tell ?

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How to Punctuate Dialogue – Rules & Examples

| Danielle McLeod

| Punctuation

Danielle McLeod

Danielle McLeod is a highly qualified secondary English Language Arts Instructor who brings a diverse educational background to her classroom. With degrees in science, English, and literacy, she has worked to create cross-curricular materials to bridge learning gaps and help students focus on effective writing and speech techniques. Currently working as a dual credit technical writing instructor at a Career and Technical Education Center, her curriculum development surrounds student focus on effective communication for future career choices.

I’m an avid reader, and I never think twice about the punctuation that makes dialog so easy to read, allowing you to flow from one conversation to the next. With so much exposure to the technique, you’d think it would be easy to reproduce – but nothing could be further from the truth.

Punctuating dialogue properly eludes even the most voracious reader. And, it’s truly no surprise since you must remember more than one rule concerning quotations, terminal marks, and comma use when all mashed together.

Knowing how to punctuate dialogue correctly is important to help develop your characters and make them more interesting to your reader. Take a look at our dialog writing tips to help you develop your storyline for a more exciting read.

The Importance of Well-Written Dialog

Writers depend upon dialog to help bring their characters to life and allow readers to form relationships with the story they are immersed in. Good dialog punctuation helps create flow and clarity, lends tone to the sentences being spoken, and creates connections between characters and the overall storyline.

Poorly constructed sentences that feel wooden and stiff are common mistakes writers make when new to the technique. But, with practice and knowledge of strong dialog sentence structure, it doesn’t take long for them to become more confident writers.

The Rules of Dialog Writing

To avoid errors in dialogue punctuation, you must keep some precise rules in mind.

A good story uses direct and indirect dialogue between characters and dialogue with narration to enhance the storyline. This creates lines of text that can quickly become confusing when punctuation or grammar is ignored or, worse yet – used incorrectly.

Review these ten rules for punctuating dialogue to help create captivating dialogue that draws your reader into an original storyline.

Rule #1: Direct Speech Requires Double Quotation Marks

If you are in the US, you use the double closing quotation marks to indicate spoken, direct dialogue. This is the first step in punctuating dialogue correctly.

For example:

• “Mom, Sanna and I only went to the store, and we came right back!” exclaimed Sarah.
• Maxine wasn’t so sure, asking, “If I spoke to Mr. Hooper, would he tell me he saw you there?”

British or Commonwealth English uses a single quotation mark, but both styles indicate the same thing.

This article focuses on the American English standard widely accepted by the Chicago Style Manual to avoid confusion.

Rule #2: Periods (and Other End Marks) Belong Inside Quotation Mark

Misplaced periods and other end marks are common mistakes when writing dialogue. Complete spoken sentences should always end with the end mark inside the quotation marks.

• She reviewed the essay, stating, “You’ll need to proofread for corrections.”
• She watched the light turn green and, glancing sideways, said, “What if we kept driving and just didn’t stop?”

Rule #3: Comma Placement is Dictated by Speaker Attribution

The majority of written dialogue is attributed to a speaker using dialogue tags. This helps a reader keep track of who is speaking, especially when back-and-forth dialog is used between two or more characters.

An attribute is a simple way to give credit to a speaker. These can be as simple as she said or he replied . They can also be more detailed, providing tone or behavioral hints, such as she rolled her eyes, leaned forward, and whispered .

When the attribute comes before the dialogue, place the comma outside the quotation marks.

• She exclaimed, “There is no way I will be involved with that plan.”
• He wasn’t impressed, looked her in the eyes, and stated, “You promised to take part in this all.”

When the attribute comes after dialogue, you place the comma inside the quotation marks.

• “I’m heading to the store,” Sarah told her mother.
• “Go straight there and back,” was the reply.

Rule #4: Always Begin New Sentences with a Capitalization

Dialogue dictates that new sentences always begin with capitalization, even when following an attribute. This may be slightly different than other rules of quotation use, but it is important to help highlight the speech of your characters.

• She turned to him smiling and spoke her thoughts aloud, “If I were to leave, what would you do?”

Do not capitalize dialog that follows an interrupting attribute.

• He smiled back, “I’d follow you,” he replied, “anywhere you go.”

Rule #5: Start a New Paragraph Each Time the Speaker Changes

One of the most important rules of organizing dialogue is to begin a new paragraph each time the speaker changes. This provides a visual of who is speaking and is especially important to avoid the overuse of attributes during back-and-forth dialogue.

To indicate a new paragraph, leave a space between each line.

“Why are you here so early?” asked the teacher, looking down on the little blond head riddled with cowlicks.

The student looked up at her, blinking, “I need to study for my test today, and our power was out at the house.”

“Oh no! Of course, you can study here. I was just going to make some coffee. Would you like some cocoa to help get focused?”

“Yes. Thank you!”

“No problem. You can study early anytime you need to. I’m almost always here by this time.” She walked into the lounge, shaking her head, knowing he wasn’t the only student that needed a warm, lighted place to start the day in.

Rule #6: Use Action Beats to Replace Dialogue Tags

Dialogue tags can become very monotonous in their use and take away from the tone of what is being said when overused. Consider using action beats that describe what the character is doing while they are speaking to help add detail and action to your dialogue.

Dialogue punctuation rules stay the same with action beats.

“Hmmmmm.” He rubbed his chin and glanced at the clock. “I’m just as confused as you are, but at the moment, I don’t have time to think about it.” He stood up, ushering the children towards the door. “Come back tomorrow when we can discuss this further.”

“But, tomorrow will be too late!” The children turned away from the door. “By then, she could be gone altogether!”

Rule #7: Avoid Closing Quotations Between Paragraphs of Speech

When a character speaks more than a few sentences in a row, you can split their extended speech up into multiple individual paragraphs. When you do this, you indicate to the reader the speech is not over by omitting the closing punctuation marks.

Still provide open quotation marks at the start of the new paragraph.

“It wasn’t difficult for me to find out what you all had been up to last night.” His mother looked them over, “I had the porch camera on, and it triggered the garage light. When I saw that come on, I knew somebody had to be coming in through the back to avoid waking me up. What you didn’t know was I was already awake.

“Although I didn’t say anything at the time, I checked with Mark’s mother this morning, and she let me know he had told her he was staying over here.” She wasn’t happy, and he knew he was in for it.

She continued on, “You told me you were staying at Mark’s house. So, of course, I wanted to know what you both were hiding from us.

“When I saw that you had the cellar door cracked open, I knew where you had to be keeping her.” She paused, “James, I told you we couldn’t afford to feed another dog, and now she’s down there with her puppies. What did you do that night? Go out to the tracks and carry them all back here thinking I would never notice?”

He nodded, “But, mom…” and looked up at her, “they would have died if we left them out there.”

Rule #8: Use Em-Dashes and Ellipses to Interrupt Speech

If you need to indicate an interruption in dialogue due to being cut off or a pause in speech, then you will use an em-dash or ellipses within the quotation marks.

“I know you care a lot about him, but — “

She interrupted, “You don’t understand that he’s just a friend!”

“— you aren’t going to camp with him this summer.” Her father finished.

“Listen, I just need to know what is going on…” she looked at her beseechingly.

Jen sighed, “I’ll explain it all one day. I just can’t right now.”

Rule #9: Use Single Quotes When Your Character is Quoting Someone or Something

If you are wondering how to use quotation marks within the dialogue to indicate a character directly quoting another, you need to use single quotation marks. A dialogue with quotes within it specifically highlights the thoughts or words of another person. 

“Tell me what the professor said was going to be on the test again.”

“He said the test would last 2 hours and to ‘read through the first two chapters, review all the vocabulary, and be able to explain the photosynthesis process.’”

Rule #10: Use Italics for Thoughts and Internal Monologues

Avoid using quotations for internal dialogue and monologues. Although, as an author, you can take artistic license and choose to use quotations, it is generally accepted to use italics in this manner if your text also includes spoken dialogue to avoid confusing the two. Just be sure to be consistent with their use.

The kitten sat at the window, eyes big and begging to be let inside.

Kimberly knew her mother would be mad, but, What she doesn’t find out won’t kill her , she thought as she opened the window.

Let’s Review

Writing dialog punctuation isn’t as tricky as it may seem at first as long as you follow these dialogue example rules. End marks, commas, and quotation marks in a dialog should be kept consistent in their use to provide clarity and flow to written conversation.

Always enclose dialog in double quotation marks, using single quotation marks to indicate a quote spoken by a character. End parks belong inside the quotations, while comma placement is determined by speaker attribution.

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Direct Speech

When we use direct speech, we write the exact words someone said. Here are some examples of sentences with direct speech...

“Is that him, over there?” shouted Oliver.

“Yes, I knew we’d find him!” replied Joe.

"Are you enjoying the film?" asked Sally.

Using punctuation for direct speech.

When we are writing direct speech, we need to use the correct punctuation. This is to make sure that the speech looks different from the text surrounding it. Here are some rules you need to know for writing direct speech...

Start speech with a capital letter

Use speech marks around speech

Start a new line for new people speaking

End speech with punctuation

• Speech must end with a punctuation mark (like a full stop or question mark).
• This punctuation mark has to go inside the speech marks.

1.1 Spelling

1.1.1 Hard 'U' & 'I' Sounds

1.1.2 Words Ending in '-sure', & '-mure'

1.1.3 Words Ending in '-sion'

1.1.4 'Ei', 'Eigh' & 'Ey' Spellings

1.1.5 Spelling Words with 'Ch'

1.1.6 Spelling Words with 'Sc'

1.1.7 Silent Letters

1.1.8 i Before e Rule

1.1.9 Hard & Soft 'c' Sounds

1.1.10 End of Topic Test - Spelling

1.2 Prefixes

1.2.1 'Anti-' & 'Auto-'

1.2.2 Not & 'Inter-'

1.2.3 'Mis-', 'Dis-' & 'Re-'

1.2.4 'Sub-' & 'Super-'

1.3 Suffixes

1.3.1 Vowel Suffixes

1.3.2 Short Vowel Suffixes

1.3.3 Suffixes: '-ous'

1.3.4 Rules for Suffixes: '-ous'

1.3.5 Rules for Suffixes: '-ous' 2

1.3.6 Suffixes: '-ly'

1.3.7 Suffixes: '-ation'

1.3.8 Suffixes: '-ation' 2

1.3.9 Spelling: '-tion' Endings

1.3.10 Spelling: '-sion' Endings

1.3.11 Spelling: '-ssion' Endings

1.3.12 Spelling: '-cian' Endings

1.3.13 End of Topic Test - Prefixes & Suffixes

1.4 Making Words Plural

1.4.1 Plurals

1.5 Homophones

1.5.1 Accept & Except

1.5.2 Affect & Effect

1.5.3 Ball & Bawl

1.5.4 Berry & Bury

1.5.5 Brake & Break

1.5.6 Fair & Fare

1.5.7 Grate & Great

1.5.8 Groan & Grown

1.5.9 Hear & Here

1.5.10 Heal, Heel & He'll

1.5.11 Knot & Not

1.5.12 Mail & Male

1.5.13 Main & Mane

1.5.14 Meat & Meet

1.5.15 Medal & Meddle

1.5.16 Missed & Mist

1.5.17 Peace & Piece

1.5.18 Plain & Plane

1.5.19 Rain & Reign & Rein

1.5.20 Scene & Seen

1.5.21 Weather & Whether

1.5.22 Whose & Who's

1.5.23 End of Topic Test - Homophones

1.6 Word Meanings

1.6.1 Homonyms

2 Punctuation

2.1 Punctuation

2.1.1 Full Stops

2.1.2 Capital Letters

2.1.3 Commas

2.1.4 Commas 2

2.1.5 Using Apostrophes with Regular Plurals

2.1.6 Using Apostrophes with Irregular Plurals

2.1.7 Question Marks & Exclamation Marks

2.1.8 Brackets

2.1.9 Dashes

2.1.10 Colon

2.1.11 Semi-Colon

2.1.12 Direct Speech

2.1.13 Indirect Speech

2.1.14 Hyphens

2.1.15 Ellipses

2.1.16 End of Topic Test - Punctuation

2.1.17 End of Topic Test - Punctuation 2

2.2 Writing Structure

2.2.1 Paragraphs

2.2.2 Headings & Subheadings

2.2.3 Columns

2.2.4 Bullets

2.2.5 Tables

3.1 Word Classes

3.1.1 Nouns

3.1.2 Pronouns

3.1.3 Verbs

3.1.4 Adjectives & Adverbs

3.1.5 Qualifiers & Quantifiers

3.1.6 Determiners

3.1.7 Prepositions

3.1.8 Synonyms & Antonyms

3.1.9 End of Topic Test - Word Classes

3.2 Conjunctions

3.2.1 Coordinating Conjunctions

3.2.2 Subordinating Conjunctions

3.3 Writing Coherently

3.3.1 Building Cohesion in Writing

3.3.2 Avoiding Ambiguity in Writing

3.4.1 Subject-verb Agreement

3.5 Modal Verbs

3.5.1 Modal Verbs

3.5.2 Can & Could

3.5.3 May & Might

3.5.4 Should & Shall

3.5.5 Will & Would

3.5.6 Must & Have To

3.6 Phrasal Verbs

3.6.1 Phrasal Verbs

3.7 Subjunctive Verbs

3.7.1 Subjunctive Verbs

3.7.2 End of Topic Test - Verbs

3.8 Sentences

3.8.1 Subject of a Sentence

3.8.2 Object of a Sentence

3.8.3 Main & Subordinate Clauses

3.8.4 Simple Sentences & Compound Sentences

3.8.5 Complex Sentences

3.8.6 Relative Clauses

3.8.7 Relative Clauses Without Relative Pronouns

3.8.8 Participle Clauses

3.8.9 Run-on Sentences

3.8.10 Sentence Functions

3.8.11 End of Topic Test - Sentences

3.9.1 Present Tense

3.9.2 Past Tense

3.9.3 Past Tense Using Have

3.9.4 Future Tense

3.9.5 Present vs Past vs Future

3.9.6 Continuity of Tenses

3.9.7 End of Topic Test - Tenses

3.10 Adverbials

3.10.1 Adverbial

3.10.2 Saying Where & When

3.10.3 Saying How Often

3.10.4 Saying How & Why

3.10.5 Using Commas for Fronted Adverbials

3.11 Language Techniques

3.11.1 Figurative & Emotive Language

3.11.2 Active & Passive Voice

3.11.3 Idiomatic Expressions

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Indirect Speech

Direct Speech in English

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Direct speech is a crucial aspect of the English language that every speaker of the language must understand. In this reference, we will explore everything you need to know about direct speech, including its definition, examples, punctuation rules, and common mistakes.

What is Direct Speech?

Direct speech is a type of speech that involves the exact words spoken by a person or character. It is also known as quoted speech or speech marks. Direct speech is used to convey a message or conversation directly from the speaker to the listener.

For example, " I am going to the market, " said John. In this sentence, the exact words spoken by John are quoted, and the sentence is enclosed by speech marks.

How is Direct Speech Different from Indirect Speech?

Direct speech is different from indirect speech in that it directly quotes the exact words of the speaker.

Indirect speech involves paraphrasing or reporting the speaker's words. For example, " John said that he was going to the market. " In this sentence, the speaker's words are not quoted directly, but rather reported indirectly.

Examples of Direct Speech and How to Identify It in a Sentence

Direct speech can be identified in a sentence by the use of speech marks or quotation marks.

For example, " I am going to the market, " said John. In this sentence, the words spoken by John are enclosed by speech marks.

Other examples of direct speech include " I love you, " said Mary, and " Can you help me? " asked Mark.

Direct Speech Punctuation Rules

Direct speech follows specific punctuation rules that must be observed to convey the correct meaning of the sentence.

The first word of the direct speech sentence is capitalized, and the sentence is enclosed by speech marks. If the direct speech sentence ends with a full stop, exclamation mark, or question mark, the punctuation mark is placed inside the speech marks.

For example, " What is your name? " asked Tom. If the direct speech is followed by a reporting clause, the reporting clause is separated from the direct speech by a comma. For example, " I am going to the market, " said John.

Direct Speech in Different Tenses

Direct speech can be used in different tenses to convey different meanings.

• " I am going to the market, " said John ( present tense ).
• " I went to the market, " said John ( past tense ).
• " I will go to the market, " said John ( future tense ).

The tense used in direct speech depends on the tense of the original words spoken.

Direct Speech vs Reported Speech: Similarities and Differences

Direct speech and reported speech are similar in that they both convey a message or conversation. However, the main difference between them is that direct speech directly quotes the speaker's exact words, while reported speech paraphrases or reports the speaker's words.

• " I am going to the market, " said John (direct speech).
• " John said he was going to the market " (reported speech).

Common Mistakes

Let's take a look at what to avoid:

• Forgetting to enclose the words spoken by the speaker in speech marks. This mistake can make it difficult to identify direct speech in a sentence.
• Forgetting to capitalize the first word of the direct speech sentence. Both of these mistakes can be avoided by following the correct punctuation rules for direct speech.
• Remember to change the tense of the original words spoken, if necessary. For example, "I am going to the market," said John (direct speech). "John said he was going to the market" (reported speech). In this example, the verb tense has been changed from present tense to past tense when reporting John's words.

Direct speech helps us to directly quote the words spoken by a speaker. Use the correct punctuation rules for direct speech, and make sure that the first word of the direct speech sentence is capitalized. Soon, you'll effortlessly use it in your own English speech without even thinking.

Check out more references below if you want to learn more!

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More helpful articles:

Grammar and Style in British English:

A comprehensive guide for students, writers and academics.

• About this site
• The Semicolon
• The Apostrophe
• Quotation Marks
• The Question Mark
• The Exclamation Mark
• Prepositions
• -ed- and -t- Ending Verbs
• The Split Infinitive
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Styles of Writing
• Person and Speech
• Phrasal Verbs
• Clichés, Pleonasms and Verbosity
• Appendix I: Referencing
• Appendix II: The Generic he
• Appendix III: Word Wise
• Appendix IV: Fallacies

Bibliography

Grammar: Quotation Marks [‘  ’] or [“  ”]

Quotation marks (or inverted commas) may be used singly or doubly. Single marks are generally preferred in British English, while double marks are obligatory in American English.

Page contents:

direct speech and reproduced text titles of short works definitions irony, scorn and jargon with other punctuation marks inappropriate use

Direct Speech and Reproduced Text      

      ‘I don't understand’, said Pat,  ‘ why we need passports to travel to other       EU countries. ’

The actual words spoken by Pat comprise direct speech and must, therefore, be marked off from the rest of the sentence by quotation marks.

But quotation marks are not used with indirect speech (speech that is reported rather than quoted) –

      Pat said that she did not understand why we need passports to travel to       other EU countries.

The same rule applies to reproduced text. If a writer wishes to use the words of another writer, or even her own from another source, the passage is enclosed in quotation marks. Short quotations of up to forty words usually appear in the same paragraph in which they are announced –

      Albert Einstein once said,  ‘ The ideals which have always shone before me       and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty and truth ’ .

The practice for longer quotations varies. In publications such as newspapers, books and magazines, the house style usually requires the  same rule: one paragraph unless the quotation itself requires  more –

         Albert Einstein once said,  ‘ The ideals which have always shone before       me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty and truth. To       make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system       of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.           ‘ Without the sense of collaborating with like-minded beings in the pursuit       of the ever  unattainable in art and scientific research, my life would have       been empty. ’ 1

There are three points to note here. Firstly, when a new paragraph is required, it is single-spaced and has its first line indented by a few spaces. Secondly –   and this applies to all quotations wherever they appear – quotation marks are required to open every paragraph, but to close only the last. If the first  paragraph in our last example had been closed with a quotation mark, the reader would assume that the second was a new quotation. Thirdly, the  comma used immediately before the quotation is optional. It is traditional to use one, but some authorities regard it as redundant. 2

In word-processed scripts and some publications, on the other hand, the practice is to use block quotations in which the entire quotation is indented (not just the first lines) and the quotation marks omitted –

      Albert Einstein once said

         The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy          of living are goodness, beauty and truth. To make a goal of comfort or          happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis          would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.

         Without the sense of collaborating with like-minded beings in the pursuit          of the ever unattainable in art and scientific research, my life would have          been empty. 3  

In publications, the quoted paragraphs are sometimes written in a different, often smaller, font from that of the main text. We often also see a  colon   used in place of the optional comma before the quotation, but the practice is incorrect when, as above, the beginning of the quotation continues  the sentence begun by the introductory phrase, Albert Einstein said…  

In dialogue, a new paragraph is required for each change of speaker, irrespective of length  –

      Inspector Crawford sat on the sofa, resting an arm along the back.            ‘ What were you doing last Thursday evening? ’ , he asked.            ‘ Thursday? That's when I go to my aerobics class ’ , said Joanne.            ‘ And you attended last Thursday? ’             ‘ Yes ’ .       His eyes, locked on hers, revealed nothing and Joanne hoped he was       sufficiently experienced not to misinterpret her blush.

For quotations within quotations, double marks are used if the outer ones are single, and single marks if the outer ones are double  –

       ‘ Reason, Hume believes, is “the slave of the passions”. ’       (Jonathan Wolff) 4

Titles of Short Works

Quotation marks are traditionally used to enclose the titles of articles, short poems and short stories –

       ‘ The Sense of Justice ’  by John Rawls, in Joel Feinberg (ed.), Moral       Concepts , Oxford Readings in Philosophy, OUP, Suffolk, 1975,  p. 120 ff.

       ‘ The Darkling Thrush ’ , by Thomas Hardy

       ‘ The Open Window ’ , by Saki

But newspapers and some referencing systems , now cite titles and articles without quotation marks.

The names of newspapers, books and films take italics .

Definitions

When a word or expression is defined, the definition (or gloss) appears in quotation marks  –

      B.C. stands for  ‘ Before Christ ’.

When the word to be defined is given in its capacity as a word, it appears in italics  –  

      The word democracy derives from the Greek words demos   ‘ people ’  and       kratos   ‘ power ’.

But note that, if the word or expression is paraphrased rather than literally defined, the information is enclosed in commas as an inessential clause and does not take quotation marks  –      

      Deontology, the theory that morality is determined by the notion of duty       rather than consequence , is the foundation of Kant ’ s ethical  philosophy.

Irony, Scorn and Jargon

Quotation marks are sometimes used to indicate irony or scorn. In this capacity, the quotation marks substitute for the expression so-called   –

      The Met Office announced that it had been the coldest  ‘ summer ’  since       records began.

      Her life savings were stolen by her  ‘ friend ’  and neighbour.

They are also sometimes used to show that the expression is not the author’s but part of the jargon of some field of study or expertise   –

      The 400-metre record breaker went on to say that, ever since he could       remember, his  ‘ significant others ’  were sportsmen and athletes.

but this use is condescending if the readership can reasonably be supposed to be familiar with the expression  –

      The owners of dozens of vehicles damaged in the freak hail storm were       dismayed to learn that their insurance companies refused to pay out for       such  ‘a cts of God ’ .

With Other Punctuation Marks

The question of whether to place other punctuation marks inside or outside quotation marks is a controversial one,   both the British and  American  practices being to some extent at variance with logic. The rule would seem obvious: other punctuation marks appear inside the quotation marks  when they are part of the quotation itself, and outside when they are not. It is one of life’s enduring mysteries, however, why neither British nor American conventions  follows this simple principle.

In the case of commas, both versions of the language adhere illogically to the rule that they always appear inside the closing quotation mark  –

       ‘ Tact, ’  said Abraham Lincoln,  ‘ is the ability to describe others as they       see themselves. ’

This is how both versions of the language would present this sentence (except for the substitution of double quotation marks in the case of  American English). But it can be seen at a glance that the first of the two commas is ungrammatically placed. The comma after tact , that is, is actually  the first of a pair that isolate the writer’s comment, said Abraham Lincoln . Lincoln’s actual words contain no commas at all  –  

       ‘ Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. ’

As part of the writer’s  sentences, then, rather than Lincoln’s, the comma should be placed outside the quotation marks  –

       ‘ Tact ’ , said Abraham Lincoln,  ‘ is the ability to describe others as they       see themselves. ’

With full stops, British and American practices differ, the British this time being more consistent with common sense  –

      Abraham Lincoln said,  ‘ tact is the ability to describe others as they see       themselves ’ .  (British)

      Abraham Lincoln said,  “ tact is the ability to describe others as they see       themselves. ”  (American)

What we have done here is to recast the sentence so that it essentially belongs to the quoting author, not the person quoted. The full stop,  therefore, should end the entire sentence (as in the British version), not just the quoted passage (as in the American).

The use of question marks is a little more sensible in both British and American English. They appear correctly outside the quotation marks when  the  question is the quoting writer's  –

      Was it Shakespeare or Donne who said,  ‘ No man is an island, entire of        it self ’ ?

and inside the marks when the quotation is the question  –

      The police officer said,  ‘ May I see some identification, sir? ’

But things get complicated again when a quoted question appears in a sentence that is itself a question  –

      Was it Cain or Abel who said,  ‘ Am I my brother's keeper? ’ ?

Although a little clumsy looking, this is the logical punctuation: two questions, two question marks. But both British and American English diverge  again and use just one question mark, placing it inside the quotation marks  –

      Was it Cain or Abel who said,  ‘ Am I my brother's keeper? ’

To its credit, however, the Modern Humanities Research Association insists on the logical use  –

      Why does Shakespeare give Malcolm the banal question  ‘ O! by        whom? ’ ? 5

The problem for the writer, of course, is which method of punctuation to use. The choice can be only hers but, if she intends to publish, it is  unlikely that the logical versions will survive the editor’s pencil, whether British or American.

Inappropriate Use

Quotation marks should not be used as excuses for clichés when the writer cannot think of anything more original. Clichés are bad enough in themselves without drawing attention to them  –

      When I first saw the rock from the bus, I expected it to be  ‘ a piece of        cake ’ , but then we all  ‘ live and learn ’ . James helped me a great deal,         though. I'd always thought him a bit stuffy, but he turned out to be a         ‘ real brick ’ .

(See also clichés, pleonasms and verbosity .)

____________

1 Albert Einstein in  I Believe , George Allen and Unwin, London, 1965, p. 27. 2 E.g. R. L. Trask, The Penguin Guide to Punctuation , Penguin Books, London, p. 97. 3 Block paragraphing, in fact, is a standard feature of word processing. On this page, for example, the paragraphs of the principal text are separated    by double spaces and have no first-line indentations. 4  Jonathan Wolff, Political Philosophy , Revised Edition, OUP, Oxford, 2006, p. 57. 5   MHRA Style Book , Fifth Edition, Modern Humanities Research Association, 1996, p. 35.

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DIRECT SPEECH | English writing lesson and exercises

In this tutorial learners are going to learn English writing lesson about direct speech.

So, if we want to write what is happening here, then this is how we write.

Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.

The correct punctuation.

Vocabulary to report direct speech.

And finally, at the end of the lesson there are some exercises for practice.

Reporting clause before the direct speech

            We write a comma (,) before the direct speech.

            We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas .

            We write a question mark ( ? ) before the closing inverted commas .

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:

We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas .

If the reporting clause is after the question or exclamation .

We write a question mark ( ? ) before the closing inverted commas .

Advanced rule

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.

Quotation marks

            Here are some other useful reporting verbs.

            reply (replied)            ask (asked)                comment (commented)                  

So, that’s the end of the lesson, I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, like and let me know your thoughts and questions, love to hear from you.

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If you have any questions or suggestions about  DIRECT SPEECH and English writing lesson and exercises,  please feel free to leave a comment below or send us a message using our contact page.

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Direct Speech

What is direct speech.

Direct speech is a sentence where the exact words spoken by somebody are recorded in inverted commas (also known as speech marks). Inverted commas are used to show which written words are spoken by the character and other punctuation is used to help the reader understand when each character starts and stops speaking. Usually, the spoken words are accompanied by a reporting clause which contains a speech verb and reveals the identity of the speaker.

How to punctuate direct speech

To punctuate direct speech, follow these simple rules:

Start a new line for each new speaker. This helps the reader to keep track of who is speaking.

Add a pair of inverted commas around the words spoken by the character. The first pair of inverted commas should go before the first spoken word and the second pair should go after the punctuation which follows the last spoken word.

Begin the spoken words with a capital letter.

Add closing punctuation to follow the last spoken word. This could be a comma, full stop, exclamation mark, question mark or even an ellipsis if the character's thoughts trail off.

Use a comma to separate the direct speech and reporting clause.

Our KS2 English Journey scheme based on the beautifully illustrated book by Aaron Becker, is a fantastic way to introduce children to direct speech punctuation.

Children tend to find rules three and four the most difficult so make sure you explicitly teach the following:

a. If the reporting clause comes before the spoken words , add a comma to separate the clause from the direct speech and a full stop within the inverted commas to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, Isa suggested, "Let's get a closer look."

b. If the reporting clause comes after the direct speech, add a comma (or other appropriate punctuation) within the inverted commas to indicate that the sentence continues and a full stop after the reporting clause to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, "Let's get a closer look," Isa suggested.

c. If the reporting clause comes in the middle of the direct speech, add a comma within the inverted commas for the first piece of speech, a comma after the reporting clause before the second piece of speech and a full stop following the reporting clause to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, "Let's get a closer look," Isa suggested, "I want to know where the tunnel leads."

When do we use direct speech?

Direct speech is used in narratives to reveal more about the thoughts, motivations and personalities of the characters, and to let new characters introduce themselves.

Using dialogue between characters is also a quick and engaging way to move on the plot of a story. For example, an instruction from a character is a useful plot device as it can prompt another character to act or move to another time or location (e.g. "Lock the door.","Go to the tower.", "Recover the diamond.").

Questions can let characters explain where they have been or what they have been doing offstage ("Why are you late?', "Where have you been?, "Why are you doing this?).

Statements can tell you more about a character's surroundings ("It's a beautiful day.", " That door wasn't there before.") or where they stand on a particular issue ("I don't agree.", "This is a risky plan.").

Inspire your children to write effective dialogue for an adventure story with our KS2 One Thousand and One Arabian Nights scheme.

Misconceptions when punctuating direct speech

Understanding and applying the rules for direct speech is no mean feat. Here are the top five misconceptions that children may have as they learn how to punctuate direct speech.

Children do not know to include punctuation inside the inverted commas.

Children do not know when to use a comma instead of a full stop inside the inverted commas.

Children incorrectly position inverted commas around the beginning and end of a full sentence rather than around the spoken words.

Children do not apply the new speaker, new line convention.

Children capitalise the first word in a reporting clause that comes in the middle or at the end of the speech sentence. This often accompanies a misuse of a full stop as closing punctuation inside the inverted commas.

Addressing these misconceptions needs careful and explicit teaching. Here are five top tips for teaching children how to punctuate direct speech in KS2.

Make sure to provide children with variety of examples which use different sentences structures.

Encourage children to find different speech sentences in their reading books and explore the similarities and differences between them.

Provide examples of incorrectly punctuated speech sentences and ask children to spot and correct the errors (identifying errors in given texts is so much less daunting than jumping straight into applying the rules within your own writing).

Give children focused editing time either as a discrete activity where children to add punctuation to unpunctuated text or where they spot and correct direct speech punctuation during independent writing.

Offer children the opportunity to read and perform their dialogue (as this can really help child get to grips with why punctuation is so important for the reader).

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 3

Direct speech is introduced in the Year 3 English Curriculum. Here, children should be taught the correct terminology for 'inverted commas' and given opportunities to practise forming these correctly (during your regular handwriting sessions can work well). When children can identify and create inverted commas, they are ready to apply these to speech - adding opening and closing inverted commas around spoken words.

An engaging, hands-on activity to help children understand where to position the inverted commas in a speech sentence is to ask children to write speech sentences on whiteboards and add macaroni around the spoken words to represent the opening and closing inverted commas. This activity can be extended to include speech and a reporting clause to consolidate understanding and to address the misconception that inverted commmas are used at the beginning and end of the sentence, rather than at the beginning and end of the spoken words.

Introduce your children to direct speech with our magical Year 3 The Snowman scheme which provides children with the foundations for punctuating direct speech.

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 4

In Year 4, the focus should be mastering all of the punctuation required to indicate direct speech. This includes the use of a comma to separate the reporting clause from the piece of speech as well as using punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”. Children will need plenty of modelled examples as to when to use the different punctuation marks inside inverted commas to get to grips with when to use a comma, full stop and other punctuation.

By the end of Year 4, children should be able to choose more precise speech verbs for their reporting clause, using verbs such as growled, snarled, whispered, mumbled to let the reader know more about the speaker's personality or mood.

One way to help chidren understand the rules of punctuating direct speech is to use a text message template to show an exchange of dialogue between characters. This helps children understand that the speech for each character starts on a new line. It is also helpful for reinforcing the learning point from Year 3, that only the spoken words should be included within the opening and closing inverted commas. Children can use the speech given in the model as the basis for writing their own dialogue between the two characters, constructing their own reporting clauses using appropriate speech verbs and adverbs.

Why not use the our KS2 English Journey scheme or our Text to Speech FreeBee to give children an opportunity to practise using direct speech in their writing?

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 5

In Year 5, children should be able to vary the structure of their speech sentences, positioning the reporting clause at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the spoken words. Here, children should consider the impact of these choices on pace and intensity. Children should be taught that the reporting clause can reveal a lot about how the words are spoken and the character of the speaker and start to experiment with adding additional clauses to add further contextual detail.

As children become more proficient with the direct speech punctuation and sentence structure, the focus of teaching should shift to encouraging children to write coherent and effective dialogue which conveys character and/or advances the action of the story.

Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 6

By Year 6, children should be able to vary the structure of their speech sentences and extend these to provide the reader with extra details about the speaker or their environment. Children should continue to write dialogue which conveys character and/or advances the action of the story,. The focus of teaching should shift to ensure that the children can integrate dialogue well into their narratives and that they know how to strike a balance between dialogue and description to produce an enjoyable or gripping experience for the reader.

In additon, children should also be taught how and when to use the structures associated with formal and informal speech to help set the tone of their piece or to contextualise their writing within a certain time period. To do this, use texts which allow you to explore a variety of speech conventions used by different characters such as those by Arthur Conan Doyale (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) or Charles Dickens (e.g. Scrooge, the Artful Dodger).  

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Punctuation of reported speech within direct speech

I've got a fiction 'speech within speech' situation, and I'd like opinions on how to handle the internal final punctuation -- inside or outside the quotes. This is British English.

Example: The character says:

[Statement A]

"Oh no, he always brings that up, ‘Just like the last time, it’ll be,’ he says, never lets me touch a drop."

Problem: in British English that comma after "be" would go outside the final single quote mark if it wasn't direct speech, ie., if an omniscient narrator says:

[Statement B]

John was liable to say "Just like last time, it'll be", or something like that, which annoyed her.

So, in the first example, A, does my character qualify as a surrogate omniscient narrator? In which case the comma should go outside the single quote? Or does the interior quote qualify as a reporting direct speech, in which case the comma stands as I've rendered it, inside the single quote?

• punctuation

• 1 John himself would be easier to understand if he habitually said things in the most common English sequence ("It'll be just like the last time") . Since he's only a fictional character anyway, I suggest making that change regardless of whether the equally fictional person referring to him uses British or American conventions for punctuation in/outside a closing quote mark. –  FumbleFingers Commented Dec 4, 2013 at 2:09

I do have a certain degree of knowledge of British usage, though I am an American. I read and edit/critique a lot of foreign novels (e.g. UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada), so I end up having to learn how different countries handle various rules. Because you are putting "he says" after the inside quotes, you should have the comma inside the single quotes. You are treating it like speech within speech and not quoting a portion of what someone said.

Regardless of country of origin, when dealing with quotes within quotes, take the second set of quotes out of the first one and decide how you would go about it. The same rules apply. The only difference is what type of quotes to use, single or double.

An added note, to my knowledge, single quotes for dialog are preferred in the UK.

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Speech second: inverted commas and punctuation rules

I can accurately punctuate a speech second sentence.

Lesson details

Key learning points.

• Direct speech is the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text.
• A speech second sentence begins with the reporting clause followed by a character's spoken words.
• The reporting clause comes before the speech to show who said the speech and how.
• The speech sentence spoken by a character must start with a capital letter.

Common misconception

Pupils may omit the comma after the reporting clause, or they may use a comma to end the sentence.

Reinforce the point that commas are never used to close a sentence, even in speech second sentences.

Direct speech - the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text

Speech second sentence - a sentence that includes direct speech second after the reporting clause

Inverted commas - a pair of punctuation marks that signal direct speech to the reader

Reporting clause - a clause that tells the reader who said the speech sentence and how

Speech first sentence - a sentence that includes direct speech first before the reporting clause

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited ( 2024 ), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Starter quiz

6 questions.

"What's wrong?" -  

asked Andeep kindly.

"Go away!" -  

Alex shouted in anger.

"Let's not argue," -  

offered Sam with a smile.

question mark -  

used at the end of a question

exclamation mark -  

used to show strong emotions

full stop -  

not used in a speech first sentence

used when there is no strong emotion

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Advice based on Australian Style Manual (ASM)

Dialogue punctuation is an area of fiction writing that often baffles new and experienced authors alike.

Here you will find simple explanations on how to punctuate and lay out your dialogue, plus the difference between direct dialogue, indirect dialogue and internal dialogue.

‘Single’ or “double” quote marks?

Single and double quotes (quotation marks) vary from country to country and publishers usually have the final decision to fit their in-house styles. Up until now, Australian and UK publishers have preferred single quotes, whereas US publishers prefer double; however, Australian publishers are becoming more aware that single quote marks can provide difficulties for people who use screen readers, and there is a movement towards double quotes. Whichever you decide to use, the main thing is to be consistent in your choice. It’s easy enough to complete a Find/Replace in Word if you eventually decide to switch. I have used double quote marks in these examples, as this is now my in-house style.

What goes inside dialogue quote marks?

Only two things should be placed within dialogue quote marks:

A. What a character says out loud (direct speech)

“Don’t sit there. The paint’s still wet,” he said.

B. Dialogue punctuation  (e.g. comma, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark, ellipses)

• “I’m not sure if I like this,” Ruth said. “It’s scary.”
• “Haven’t you done this before?” John asked, looking amused.
• “No. Wait!” Ruth took a step back. “It’s … a lot higher than I thought.”

What goes outside dialogue quote marks?

Dialogue tags  (said, asked, called, murmured, yelled etc.) Dialogue tags are used to flag which character is speaking and often help the reader understand the tone of the character’s dialogue.

• “Will you be joining us for dinner?” he asked.
• The waiter called out, “Sir, you left your jacket.”
• She leaned in and whispered, “Don’t forget to lock your door.”
• “Well, if you’d told me,” David mumbled, “we could have worked it out.”
• “Don’t be so hasty to decide,” Verity said. “You still have plenty of time.”
• Dialogue tags are always punctuated with a comma, unless the speech is interrupted and a new sentence begins with a capital letter (see example 5).
• Dialogue always starts with a capital letter, unless a sentence is interrupted by a tag or action and the same sentence then continues. In this case, use lower case to continue the dialogue. (See example 4).
• Dialogue tags are also known as attributions.

Action tags  (an action the character does)

Action tags are used to flag which character is speaking, and sometimes to aid characterisation. They can also provide an alternative to repetitive dialogue tags.

She shook her head. “It’s not the same.” “It’s over here.” Tom pointed to the shelf.

but when using both an action and a dialogue tag:

She shook her head and said, “It’s not the same.”

• Action tags are always punctuated with a full stop.
•  Action tags are sometimes called action beats.

Dialogue without tags

If it’s clear which character is speaking, it’s not necessary to use a tag at all.

David and his brother stood looking at the broken window while their father glowered. “Which one of you kids did this?”

Direct Speech – Indirect Speech – Internal Dialogue

Direct speech is dialogue spoken aloud and is enclosed in quote marks:

“Good job, David,” she said.

Indirect speech is reported speech and does not require quote marks.

Jason said he would be there, but Susan had her doubts.

Internal Dialogue  is the equivalent of thought and requires no quote marks.

Mark wondered if this was such a good idea. What if it all went wrong?

Interrupted Dialogue

When dialogue is interrupted by either an action or thought, use em dashes to set off the interruption, but do not use commas.

Interruption by action

“When I applied for this job”—she pursed her lips to calm herself—”you said you would support me.”

The same technique applies to action interrupted by dialogue:

Ben picked up the water container—”It’s empty”—and shook it as evidence.

Interruption by indirect thought

“Take three drops of rose oil”—he wondered if he had the amounts right—”and blend it with the other ingredients.”

Interruption by direct thought

I should have eaten when Mum offered—now that my stomach is grumbling—but I hadn’t been hungry then.

Interruption by another character’s dialogue

Gerry grabbed his satchel and turned to Kathy, who was balancing the cash register. “So when you’ve finished doing that, you’ll—” “Yes, yes. Bank the takings, and lock up the shop,” she said. “Get going or you’ll miss your train.”

Trailing off dialogue

When a character trails off their speech, use an ellipses with one space prior.

Mary’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe if I …” She bent to pick up the broken plate, then sat on the kitchen stool weeping.

Quotes within dialogue, which form (a syntatical) part of the sentence

Jeff dropped his backpack and turned to Sally. “There’s rain due in an hour. The ranger said it would be ‘a bucket load’. We should find shelter.”

Wendy pushed Jim aside. “Not like that. Mum said ‘cover it with both hands’.”

Quotes that form part of the narrative, rather than dialogue.

Saraya sat in a huff, telling Eddie she was as “exhausted as a snail going up hill” and wouldn’t take another step.

Every time Gran yelled “get out of the lolly jar”, I honestly thought she had supernatural hearing.

Flouting conventions

Of course, there are several well-known authors who like to do things their own way and use alternative dialogue punctuation. For example, none of these authors use dialogue quote marks:

Tim Winton Ali Smith Cormac McCarthy Maaza Mengiste Sally Rooney Virginia Woolf Jacqueline Woodson

You’ll notice these are mainly literary authors, with enough skill to present their dialogue without quote marks and not confuse readers. However, some tend to use dialogue tags (instead of quote marks) on EVERY. SINGLE. LINE. which becomes laborious. Some use italics instead, or a dash, or just a new line.

Love dialogue punctuation or hate it – the majority of writers use it because it’s standard practice and what their readers expect see. So much so that quote marks, like other punctuation marks, are skimmed over by the eye. If you leave them out, you risk tripping up the reader.

Ultimately, most editors and writers will agree you need to learn the rules before you break them.

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