Showing direct speech — Language, 7–10 years
Direct speech lets a reader see the exact words a person says. Speech marks and reporting words help separate those words from the rest of the story.
The reader hears the words
Direct speech writes the exact words spoken by a character, as if the reader were nearby. Speech marks show where those words begin and end, while “said Mia” tells us who spoke.
Why mark spoken words?
A story may contain the narrator’s words and a character’s words. If they look exactly the same, readers can lose track of who is speaking. Marking direct speech makes conversations easier to follow and gives characters their own voices.
Building a line of dialogue
Begin with the spoken words: I found a shell. Put speech marks around them: “I found a shell.” Add the speaker and a reporting verb: Leo said, “I found a shell.” The comma and full stop keep the sentence easy to read.
The speech-mark trap
A common mistake is putting speech marks around the whole sentence, including “Leo said”. That feels sensible because the whole line is about speaking, but only the exact spoken words need them: Leo said, “I found a shell.”
Direct speech in real life
You see direct speech in comics, novels, interviews and reports of conversations. It can show a person’s exact words, such as a witness explaining what happened. It is useful when the precise wording matters, not for every sentence in every text.
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