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Punctuating Direct Speech with Quotation Marks — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 6 punctuation worksheet.

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Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 6 · English · Punctuation

Punctuating Direct Speech with Quotation Marks — Answers

Part A: Which is correct?

Direct speech shows the exact words someone says. Circle the correctly punctuated sentence.

1.Which is correct?
  1. A"I'm hungry" said Leo.
  2. B"I'm hungry," said Leo.
  3. C"I'm hungry." said Leo.
  4. DI'm hungry, said Leo.

Answer: "I'm hungry," said Leo.

When the speaker comes after the speech, end the spoken words with a comma inside the quotation marks.

2.Which is correct?
  1. AMia asked, "where is the dog?"
  2. BMia asked "Where is the dog"?
  3. CMia asked, "Where is the dog?"
  4. DMia asked, Where is the dog?

Answer: Mia asked, "Where is the dog?"

Put a comma after asked, start the speech with a capital letter and keep the question mark inside.

3.Which is correct?
  1. A"Help!" cried the boy.
  2. B"Help"! cried the boy.
  3. C"Help!" Cried the boy.
  4. DHelp! "cried the boy."

Answer: "Help!" cried the boy.

The exclamation mark goes inside, and cried stays lower case because the sentence continues.

4.Which is correct?
  1. A"If you hurry," said Dad, "You can catch the bus."
  2. B"If you hurry" said Dad "you can catch the bus."
  3. C"If you hurry," said Dad. "you can catch the bus."
  4. D"If you hurry," said Dad, "you can catch the bus."

Answer: "If you hurry," said Dad, "you can catch the bus."

This is one sentence split in two, so the second part continues with a lower-case letter after a comma.

Part B: Add the punctuation

Rewrite each sentence with quotation marks, commas, capital letters and end punctuation.

5.Come inside now called Grandma

Answer: "Come inside now!" called Grandma.

  1. Also correct with a comma: "Come inside now," called Grandma.
6.Sam said I finished my book

Answer: Sam said, "I finished my book."

  1. Speaker first: comma after said, then the speech with a capital letter.
  2. The end punctuation goes inside the closing quotation mark.
7.Are we there yet asked Ella

Answer: "Are we there yet?" asked Ella.

8.That's amazing shouted Raj

Answer: "That's amazing!" shouted Raj.

9.I think said Zara that we are lost

Answer: "I think," said Zara, "that we are lost."

  1. Split speech: close the quotation marks after the first part, add the speaker, then open them again.
  2. The second part continues the sentence, so it starts with a lower-case letter.
10.We should leave now said Ben It's getting dark

Answer: "We should leave now," said Ben. "It's getting dark."

  1. The second part is a new sentence, so end the first sentence after Ben and start It's with a capital letter.

Part C: True or false?

11.The punctuation at the end of the spoken words goes inside the closing quotation mark.

Answer: True

For example: "Wait for me," said Ana.

12.In split speech, the second part always starts with a capital letter.

Answer: False

Only when it starts a new sentence. If it continues the same sentence, use a lower-case letter.

13.You start a new line each time a different person begins to speak.

Answer: True

This shows the reader the speaker has changed.

14.In "Where are you?" Asked Tom, asked needs a capital letter.

Answer: False

The sentence continues after the question mark, so asked stays lower case.

15.The words that tell you who is speaking go inside the quotation marks.

Answer: False

Only the spoken words go inside.

Part D: Set out a conversation

Rewrite the conversation with correct punctuation, starting a new line for each new speaker.

16.Set out this conversation correctly: Where are you going asked Ben To the park said Lucy Can I come asked Ben Only if you bring the ball said Lucy

Answer: "Where are you going?" asked Ben. "To the park," said Lucy. "Can I come?" asked Ben. "Only if you bring the ball," said Lucy.

  1. Start a new line for each speaker.
  2. Questions end with a question mark inside the quotation marks; statements end with a comma when the speaker follows.

Part E: Your turn

17.Your turn: write a conversation of six lines between two friends planning a surprise for someone. Include at least one question, one exclamation, one line where the speaker comes first and one example of split speech.

Model answer: "What should we do for Grandpa's birthday?" asked Nora. Max grinned and said, "Let's bake him a giant pancake." "A pancake," said Nora slowly, "is not a birthday cake." "It is if we put candles on it!" Max laughed. "Fine," Nora sighed. "But you're doing the flipping." "Deal," said Max.

Success criteria:

  • Six lines, with a new line for each new speaker
  • Quotation marks around spoken words only
  • Correct punctuation inside the closing quotation mark
  • A question and an exclamation punctuated correctly
  • Speaker-first speech with a comma before the opening quotation mark
  • Split speech punctuated correctly
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Marking tips

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