English · Stage 5
Punctuating Speech
Grammar & Punctuation — wrap the spoken words in speech marks, keep the end punctuation inside them, and start a new line for each new speaker
✦ English📘 Stage 5 · S5⏱ ~12 min🧒 Ages 9–10★ Free to start
I can punctuate direct speech correctly.
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Kavi Writes a Chat
"I want to write down what we said," hooted Kavi. "But how do I show which words came out of my beak? I wrap the spoken words in speech marks — “like this”. The comma or full stop that ends the speech hides inside the marks, the first word gets a capital, and whenever a new person speaks I jump to a new line. Then my reader can hear every voice!"
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What your child will learn
1Wrap the words, keep the mark insideSpeech marks go around exactly the words a person says. The mark that ends the speech (comma, full stop, ? or !) stays inside the closing speech mark, and the first spoken word takes a capital letter.
2Why speech punctuation helpsTap each card. Which one shows you exactly which words were spoken?
3Read the speech aloudTap each line. Listen for the voice, and notice where the end mark sits.
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A peek inside
Punctuate: we are lost said Kavi
the spoken words are 'we are lost' → wrap them in speech marks and start with a capital W; a statement before 'said' ends with a comma, inside the marks
Try this at home: Add speech marks and a comma: hello said Pip
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of English · Stage 5 · S5 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.