Punctuating SpeechWhere the quotation marks go, and the comma nearly everyone…3rd GradeEverything the person actually says goesinside the speech marks, including thepunctuation that belongs to it."Words spoken," said Sam.Speech first"I'm ready," said Ada.Comma inside the marks, then lower-case said.Speech lastAda said, "I'm ready."Comma before the marks open; full stop inside.A question"Are you ready?" asked Ada.Question mark replaces the comma, still inside.New speakerstart a new lineEvery time the speaker changes, take a new line.THE COMMON MISTAKE✗ "I'm ready". said Ada.✓ "I'm ready," said Ada.The mark belongs to the speech, so it goes inside — and it is a comma, not a full stop.New speaker, new line. It is what makes a conversation readable.Punctuating Speechwww.littleactivity.com

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Literacy · 3rd Grade

Punctuating Speech

Where the quotation marks go, and the comma nearly everyone forgets.

How to use it

Mark up a page of dialogue from a real book and count the commas.

Free · print-ready PDF · US Letter and A4

Grade
3rd Grade
Ages
8–9
Subject
Literacy
Pages
1

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