Direct Speech

Direct speech gives the exact words that a person says. We put these exact words inside quotation marks. This shows the reader that the words are spoken words.

Quotation marks go around the spoken words in direct speech. The first word inside the quotation marks starts with a capital letter when it is a full sentence. The punctuation for the spoken sentence stays inside the quotation marks.

A reporting verb tells who speaks and how the speech is introduced. Common reporting verbs for direct speech are say, ask, and shout. These verbs connect the speaker to the quoted words.

The reporting clause can come before the quoted speech. In this position, the reporting clause usually ends with a comma. The quoted sentence then begins with a capital letter inside the quotation marks.

The reporting clause can come after the quoted speech. In this position, the quoted speech comes first, and the reporting clause follows. A comma usually separates the quoted words from the reporting clause.

The reporting clause can also come in the middle of quoted speech. Then the spoken sentence is divided into two parts. Commas are used to separate the first part, the reporting clause, and the second part.

Direct speech can show questions with the exact spoken words. When the spoken words are a question, the question mark stays inside the quotation marks. The reporting verb ask is often used for this kind of direct speech.

You can now write direct speech with quotation marks and reporting verbs. You can place the reporting clause before, after, or in the middle of the quoted words. You can also use capitals and punctuation correctly inside the quotation marks.