
Accessibility links
- Skip to content
- Accessibility Help
- CBBC iPlayer
Writing direct and indirect speech
Learning focus.
Learn about direct and indirect speech and how to punctuate it properly.
This lesson includes:
three activities
Speech is an important feature in factual writing, such as newspaper reports and recounts. It enables the writer to share important information about what people involved in the story had to say.
Inverted commas are used to show direct speech in your writing. Recap and get moving with this fun video.
Learn more about how inverted commas are used to show direct speech by watching this video.
Factual writing such as newspaper reports or recounts include two types of speech - direct and indirect/reported speech.
Direct speech
Direct speech is when the exact words that have been said by a person are written down inside inverted commas.
- Inverted commas (speech marks) go before and after direct speech. They surround what was said by the speaker. For example:
"I'm pleased to have raised so much money," said Captain Tom.
Punctuating direct speech
A new speaker needs a new line. This might not be included in a newspaper report as the speech won’t be part of a conversation between people or characters.
You should use a capital letter at the start of each piece of speech.
Punctuation (question marks, full stops and exclamation marks) go inside the inverted commas.
If the person who is speaking is named before the speech, you must use a comma before the first set of inverted commas. For example:
Captain Tom exclaimed, “Let’s go and do some more laps of the garden!”
Indirect (reported) speech
When indirect speech is used, the writer will share the main points of what someone has said without writing exactly what they said in full.
No speech punctuation (like inverted commas) is used for indirect speech.
- Direct: “I was tired after all that walking,” explained Captain Tom.
Could be written as:
- Indirect: Captain Tom admitted he was very tired by the end of his challenge.
You may need paper and a pen or pencil for some of these activities.
Test your knowledge of direct speech and inverted commas by completing this quiz.
1. Read through this Newsround report: Humpback whales return after almost becoming extinct.
Can you find the example of direct speech?
2. Now read through this Newround report: The jellyfish-juggling dolphin and other amazing animals.
Can you find the example of indirect (reported) speech?
You can check your answers using this answer sheet.
Read the sentences below carefully.
Writing on a piece of paper, change any that are in direct speech to indirect speech, and any that are in indirect speech to direct speech.
1. “Hurry up please, it’s nearly 3 o’clock!” shouted Granny.
2. Ruby asked whether she could have a chocolate ice cream for dessert.
3. The shopkeeper announced that there was no bread left.
4. Freddie whispered, “Do you have a spare pencil?”
5. “Are you going on holiday?” asked Pritika.
You can check your answers in this suggested answers sheet .
Where next?
In this lesson you have learnt about direct and indirect speech and how to punctuate it properly.
There are other useful articles on Bitesize to help you to understand more about non-fiction writing:
What are the features of a newspaper report
How to write a recount
What are fiction and non-fiction?
There's more to learn

More English Guides
Take a look at our other English guides.

KS2 English

More from KS2 English
BBC Bitesize

Bitesize games
Explore brilliant games from BBC Bitesize.
There's more to learn ...

Writing direct speech

Their, they're and or there?

What is a verb?
Crown Academy of English
English lessons and resources
Direct speech writing rules in English
7th January 2019 by Andrew 9 Comments

In the above picture, Mark is talking to Jane. The words inside the blue box are the exact words that he speaks.
Here is how we express this:

This is direct speech. Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.
In this English lesson, you will learn:
- The rules for writing direct speech.
- The correct punctuation.
- Vocabulary to report direct speech.
Reporting clause before the direct speech
The reporting clause of direct speech is the short clause that indicates who is talking. It is the clause that is outside of the inverted commas. It is therefore not the words being spoken.
We can write the reporting clause either before or after the direct speech. If the reporting clause is before the direct speech, we write it as follows:

Grammar rules – If the reporting clause is before the direct speech:
We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas.
Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation:
We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas.
Reporting clause after the direct speech

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:
We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.
Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is after a question or exclamation:
We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.
Advanced rules for direct speech
Sometimes we break up the direct speech into 2 parts:

The second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it is the same sentence as the first part of the direct speech.

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.
Vocabulary of direct speech

We have several names for the above punctuation marks:
Inverted commas Speech marks Quotation marks Quotes
Other reporting verbs
Here are some other useful reporting verbs:
reply (replied) ask (asked) shout (shouted) agree (agreed) comment (commented) admit (admitted)
They are often used for writing direct speech in books, newspapers and reports. It is more common to use them in reporting clauses after the direct speech.
“I really don’t like her dress,” she commented . “I don’t love you anymore,” he admitted .
Other English lessons
Private online English lessons How to pass the IELTS with a band 8 Adverbs of frequency Indefinite article “a” and “an” The prepositions FOR and SINCE All of our lessons
Direct speech video lesson
Matěj Formánek says
3rd November 2019 at 5:54 pm
How about this sentence: I know the satnav is wrong!” exclaimed Zena. – Why the subject and predicate are swapped? It’s sentence from textbook so I’m confused.
17th June 2020 at 4:07 pm
Can we write multiple sentences in direct speech that comes before reporting clause? In case if this is allowed, what punctuation mark should be used after the last sentence?
Example: “I entered the class room. As I did not find anybody there, I left the class room and went to buy a coffee.” explained the student to the teacher for his delay to come to the class.
Should the punctuation mark after the word coffee be comma instead of full stop?
Joaquim Barretto says
14th September 2020 at 1:25 pm
No full stop, but comma after the word coffee.
19th January 2021 at 2:34 pm
HI IM DAISY
courtney says
27th January 2021 at 12:07 pm
Clare Hatcher says
12th March 2021 at 9:55 am
Hello I like the layout of this – very clear. Just wondering if it is correct to use a comma in between two separate sentences in direct speech. I think that now in published material you find this instead. ‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘Let’s stay at home.’ Would appreciate your thoughts Thanks
27th March 2021 at 8:54 am
If I wrote something with a comma at the end to continue speech like this:
“Hello,” he waved to the new student, “what’s you’re name?”
Do I have to use a capital letter even if I’m continuing with a comma or is it lowercase?
15th April 2022 at 12:12 pm
which of the following is correct?
1. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document?”
2. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document,”? (comma inside)
3. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document.”? (full stop inside)
A person says
15th August 2022 at 7:16 pm
One extra thing: YOU MUST NOT USE THE WORD SAID IN A REPORTING CLAUSE. EVER. IT’S UNIMAGINATIVE.
no joke, it’s actually discouraged and even close to banned at my school
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Affiliate disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Additionally, CrownAcademyEnglish.com participates in other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission from purchases made through our links.
Follow us on social media


Revision Made Easy!
- KS2 English
Direct Speech

This KS2 English quiz will test you on direct speech. Direct speech is about writing dialogue. Learning to punctuate direct speech is helpful if you want to include dialogue in a story. Imagine your character with a speech bubble - which words would be inside the bubble? These are the words that go between the pair of speech marks. Don't forget the punctuation inside the speech marks, too!
Many people are not sure about the order of punctuation when using speech marks, so keep on playing this quiz until you are sure you have it right.
See if you can full marks in this quiz about direct speech.

Great! You're enjoying learning by quizzing
You've had your free 15 questions for today. For unlimited access to all quizzes, games and more, you'll need to subscribe.
If you wish to subscribe straight away, visit our Join Us page.
Or take a look around the website and start at our Home page. Colin
Contact Details
Education quizzes, customer service, here to help, our social circles.

© Copyright 2016-2023 - Education Quizzes TJS - Web Design Lincolnshire
We use cookies to make your experience of our website better.
To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent - I agree - No thanks - Find out more
Need help? Open
- What our subscribers say...
- How to videos
- Create new account
- Reset your password
What are direct and indirect speech?

What is direct speech?
Direct speech is a sentence in which the exact words spoken are reproduced in speech marks (also known as quotation marks or inverted commas). For example:
What is indirect speech?
Indirect speech is when the general points of what someone has said are reported, without actually writing the speech out in full. It is sometimes called reported speech. For example:

When do children learn about direct speech?
Teachers will start to teach children how to set out direct speech in Year 3 .
The general rules of direct speech are:
- Each new character's speech starts on a new line.
- Speech is opened with speech marks.
- Each line of speech starts with a capital.
- The line of speech ends with a comma, exclamation mark or question mark.
- A reporting clause is used at the end ( said Jane, shouted Paul, replied Mum).
- A full stop goes after the reporting clause.
- If the direct speech in the sentence is broken up by information about who is speaking, add in a comma or question mark or exclamation mark to end the first piece of speech and a full stop or another comma before the second piece (before the speech marks), for example: "It's lovely," she sighed, "but I can't afford it right now." / "I agree!" said Kate. "Let's go!"

When do children learn about indirect speech?
In Year 5, children may be taught a literacy unit that guides them in writing a newspaper article including the use of indirect (or reported) speech. In Year 6, children may be encouraged to use indirect speech when writing a biography or practising further journalistic writing.
When changing direct speech into indirect speech, changes have to be made to a sentence. For example:
- Verb tenses usually shift back a tense (into the past)
- Word order often needs to change
- Pronouns often need to change
- Words indicating place and time need to change
By Year 6 children should be setting out speech and punctuating it correctly in their stories. In fiction indirect speech can sometimes be helpful if a character in a story wants to recount a conversation they have had in the past.
For direct and indirect speech worksheets and activities to help your child put the theory into practice look through our punctuation worksheets.
More like this

- Primary Hub
- Art & Design
- Design & Technology
- Health & Wellbeing
- Secondary Hub
- Citizenship
- Primary CPD
- Secondary CPD
- Book Awards
- All Products
- Primary Products
- Secondary Products
- School Trips
- Trip Directory
- Trips by Subject
- Trips by Type
- Trips by Region
- Submit a Trip Venue
Trending stories

Top results
Direct speech and indirect speech – 9 of the best resources and worksheets for KS2 SPaG

Help children know when and how to use speech marks in direct speech, and why not to use them in indirect speech, with these lessons, activities, worksheets and more for Key Stage 2 grammar…

What is direct speech?
Direct speech in writing is where you are writing down a direct quotation of someone’s actual words, and these are marked by inverted commas eg “I’ll meet you at the library tomorrow morning,” Sharon said.
What is indirect speech?
Indirect speech (or reported speech), on the other hand, is where you are given a rough approximation of what someone said, not their exact words, and doesn’t require quotation/speech marks, eg ‘Sharon told them she’d see them in the library tomorrow.’
What are inverted commas?
Inverted commas go before and after direct speech, surrounding what was said.
Direct speech examples
- “I’m tired,” she yawned.
- “What’s that sound?” he asked. “It’s coming from under the floorboards!” Elle replied.
- The police officer shouted, “There they are!”
Indirect speech examples
- Mrs Weismann asked you to go see her in her office.
- My dad told me to clear up my room.
- Jerry said he found the book out in the playground.
1 | Getting speech punctuation right at KS2 guide

Perfectly punctuating dialogue is something that can trip up even experienced editors – but this quick guide should help pupils get it right, from the start.
Read it here.
2 | Punctuating direct speech resource pack

This powerful KS2 grammar resources pack provides everything you need to teach a series of five lessons on punctuating direct speech, culminating in an extended writing task where children can use their grammatical understanding in context.
Get this resource pack here.

3 | Direct speech challenge worksheets

Similarly, this bright, appealing grammar worksheet is an excellent way to practise and revise using direct speech in Year 4.
It is divided into five sections: understand, challenge, test, explain and apply.
Activities include SATs style questions and opportunities for creative writing responses, with eye-catching images as prompts.
Find this one here.
4 | Learn speech conventions through knock, knock jokes worksheet

This resource sheet from Rachel Clarke uses a small-steps approach to slowly scaffold children through the rules and conventions of dialogue. In the first instance pupils are simply asked to rewrite knock, knock jokes in speech bubbles.
Once they’ve got the hang of this, they should then be encouraged to write the name of the speaker and ‘said’ before each speech bubble. The second level asks pupils write each line of the knock, knock joke using inverted commas.
Each example on this sheet starts with the reporting clause before the dialogue, which enables pupils to practise adding a comma after the reporting clause.
Download it here.
5 | Speech marks washing line

This handy idea was created by Clarice Morley, an English teacher in a Pupil Referral Unit, who found her boys were struggling with the use of speech marks.
They invented three characters – male, female and a rabbit – and produced some labels such as “Rory exclaimed” and “Brenda whispered”. Clarice then stretched a washing line across the board, and had two pegs with the speech marks on.
The boys would write something someone would say onto a piece of paper, then they matched one of the labels with one of their speeches, and hung the speech on the washing line.
They soon grasped it is only the reported speech that hangs on the line, and the pegs (speech marks) keep it in place.
Print out the worksheet for this resource here.
6 | How to use inverted commas video guide
For a nice little introduction or recap to inverted commas, watch this video of Mr Thorne take you through their uses.
It’s clearly explained with large captions across the bottom so that children can see his examples written out with the correct punctuation.
7 | Speech mark rules

There are many “rules” of speech marks, but no definitive list, and you don’t want to overwhelm children with too many while they’re just learning.
So this Rising Stars list of five rules is a nice size for children to read and take in.
Check it out here.
8 | Quotation marks worksheet

This two-page worksheet has six tasks and an extension all revolving around punctuating speech.
So it starts with putting speech marks into sentences, then putting speech marks and all other punctuation, before building up to punctuating longer passages.
Print it here.
9 | Inverted commas worksheet set

This resource set has three parts. One is ‘Witch and Tiger Conversation’, which shows ten pictures with blank speech bubbles. Children choose names for the witch and the tiger, then create the contents of the conversation.
Next they re-write this conversation in the form of a story by adding phrases such as ‘said Tom’ and ‘asked Joe’ as well as speech marks and other punctuation.
The second and third parts are ‘Missing Speech Marks’ worksheets, where children need to add speech marks to sentences.
Get all this here.
Sign up to our newsletter
You'll also receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers and more. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)
Which sectors are you interested in?
Early Years
Thank you for signing up to our emails!
You might also be interested in...

Why join Teachwire?
Get what you need to become a better teacher with unlimited access to exclusive free classroom resources and expert CPD downloads.
Exclusive classroom resource downloads
Free worksheets and lesson plans
CPD downloads, written by experts
Resource packs to supercharge your planning
Special web-only magazine editions
Educational podcasts & resources
Access to free literacy webinars
Newsletters and offers
Create free account
I would like to receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers and more. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)
By signing up you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy .
Already have an account? Log in here
Thanks, you're almost there
To help us show you teaching resources, downloads and more you’ll love, complete your profile below.
Welcome to Teachwire!
Set up your account.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Commodi nulla quos inventore beatae tenetur.
Log in to Teachwire
Not registered with Teachwire? Sign up for free
Reset Password
Remembered your password? Login here

- International
- Schools directory
- Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search
English- Direct and indirect speech- Journalistic Writing KS2
Subject: English
Age range: 7-11
Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Comprehensive resources created by an experienced teacher; aims to help make fellow teachers' lives a little easier!
Last updated
12 September 2022
- Share through email
- Share through twitter
- Share through linkedin
- Share through facebook
- Share through pinterest
In this lesson students will learn the difference between direct and indirect speech. They will identify this in a newspaper report and write their own version of a newspaper report using both versions of speech.
This lesson is one of a block of lessons on journalistic writing. To view these please visit: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12170817
Creative Commons "Sharealike"
Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 46%
A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.
English- Journalistic Writing BUNDLE of lessons KS2
Journalistic writing is the style of writing used to report news stories in newspapers, television broadcasts, on radio and on the Internet. This bundle includes lessons on: - Forms of news - Features of newspaper articles - Direct and reported speech in newspaper reports - Identifying bias - Writing a newspaper report All lessons have included presentations, lesson plans and resources! A great bundle deal! Leave a review for this resource and send a copy of your receipt to [email protected] to receive a FREE single resource of your choice!
Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.
It's good to leave some feedback.
Something went wrong, please try again later.
This resource hasn't been reviewed yet
To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have downloaded this resource can review it
Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.
Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:
Download your resources and pay in 3 interest-free installments with Klarna
Pay in 3 interest-free installments with Klarna
- 📚 Cross-Curricular Topics
- ✂️ Design & Technology
- ♻️ Education for Social Responsibility
- 🌍 Geography
- ⛪️ Religious Education
- 🎉 Special Days
- 🦸♀️ Special People
- Whole School Art
- Whole School DT
- Whole School ESR
- Whole School Geography
- Whole School History
- Whole School Maths
- Whole School RE
- Whole School Science
- Free Sample Packs
- Free Mini-Schemes
- Learn at Home
- Objective Checker
- How does it work?
- Special Offers
- BECOME A MEMBER 🧡
Direct Speech
What is direct speech.
Direct speech is a sentence where the exact words spoken by somebody are recorded in inverted commas (also known as speech marks). Inverted commas are used to show which written words are spoken by the character and other punctuation is used to help the reader understand when each character starts and stops speaking. Usually, the spoken words are accompanied by a reporting clause which contains a speech verb and reveals the identity of the speaker.
How to punctuate direct speech
To punctuate direct speech, follow these simple rules:
Start a new line for each new speaker. This helps the reader to keep track of who is speaking.
Add a pair of inverted commas around the words spoken by the character. The first pair of inverted commas should go before the first spoken word and the second pair should go after the punctuation which follows the last spoken word.
Begin the spoken words with a capital letter.
Add closing punctuation to follow the last spoken word. This could be a comma, full stop, exclamation mark, question mark or even an ellipsis if the character's thoughts trail off.
Use a comma to separate the direct speech and reporting clause.
Our KS2 English Journey scheme based on the beautifully illustrated book by Aaron Becker, is a fantastic way to introduce children to direct speech punctuation.
Children tend to find rules three and four the most difficult so make sure you explicitly teach the following:
a. If the reporting clause comes before the spoken words , add a comma to separate the clause from the direct speech and a full stop within the inverted commas to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, Isa suggested, "Let's get a closer look."
b. If the reporting clause comes after the direct speech, add a comma (or other appropriate punctuation) within the inverted commas to indicate that the sentence continues and a full stop after the reporting clause to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, "Let's get a closer look," Isa suggested.
c. If the reporting clause comes in the middle of the direct speech, add a comma within the inverted commas for the first piece of speech, a comma after the reporting clause before the second piece of speech and a full stop following the reporting clause to indicate the end of the sentence. For example, "Let's get a closer look," Isa suggested, "I want to know where the tunnel leads."
When do we use direct speech?
Direct speech is used in narratives to reveal more about the thoughts, motivations and personalities of the characters, and to let new characters introduce themselves.
Using dialogue between characters is also a quick and engaging way to move on the plot of a story. For example, an instruction from a character is a useful plot device as it can prompt another character to act or move to another time or location (e.g. "Lock the door.","Go to the tower.", "Recover the diamond.").
Questions can let characters explain where they have been or what they have been doing offstage ("Why are you late?', "Where have you been?, "Why are you doing this?).
Statements can tell you more about a character's surroundings ("It's a beautiful day.", " That door wasn't there before.") or where they stand on a particular issue ("I don't agree.", "This is a risky plan.").
Inspire your children to write effective dialogue for an adventure story with our KS2 One Thousand and One Arabian Nights scheme.
Misconceptions when punctuating direct speech
Understanding and applying the rules for direct speech is no mean feat. Here are the top five misconceptions that children may have as they learn how to punctuate direct speech.
Children do not know to include punctuation inside the inverted commas.
Children do not know when to use a comma instead of a full stop inside the inverted commas.
Children incorrectly position inverted commas around the beginning and end of a full sentence rather than around the spoken words.
Children do not apply the new speaker, new line convention.
Children capitalise the first word in a reporting clause that comes in the middle or at the end of the speech sentence. This often accompanies a misuse of a full stop as closing punctuation inside the inverted commas.
Addressing these misconceptions needs careful and explicit teaching. Here are five top tips for teaching children how to punctuate direct speech in KS2.
Make sure to provide children with variety of examples which use different sentences structures.
Encourage children to find different speech sentences in their reading books and explore the similarities and differences between them.
Provide examples of incorrectly punctuated speech sentences and ask children to spot and correct the errors (identifying errors in given texts is so much less daunting than jumping straight into applying the rules within your own writing).
Give children focused editing time either as a discrete activity where children to add punctuation to unpunctuated text or where they spot and correct direct speech punctuation during independent writing.
Offer children the opportunity to read and perform their dialogue (as this can really help child get to grips with why punctuation is so important for the reader).
Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 3
Direct speech is introduced in the Year 3 English Curriculum. Here, children should be taught the correct terminology for 'inverted commas' and given opportunities to practise forming these correctly (during your regular handwriting sessions can work well). When children can identify and create inverted commas, they are ready to apply these to speech - adding opening and closing inverted commas around spoken words.
An engaging, hands-on activity to help children understand where to position the inverted commas in a speech sentence is to ask children to write speech sentences on whiteboards and add macaroni around the spoken words to represent the opening and closing inverted commas. This activity can be extended to include speech and a reporting clause to consolidate understanding and to address the misconception that inverted commmas are used at the beginning and end of the sentence, rather than at the beginning and end of the spoken words.
Introduce your children to direct speech with our magical Year 3 The Snowman scheme which provides children with the foundations for punctuating direct speech.
Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 4
In Year 4, the focus should be mastering all of the punctuation required to indicate direct speech. This includes the use of a comma to separate the reporting clause from the piece of speech as well as using punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”. Children will need plenty of modelled examples as to when to use the different punctuation marks inside inverted commas to get to grips with when to use a comma, full stop and other punctuation.
By the end of Year 4, children should be able to choose more precise speech verbs for their reporting clause, using verbs such as growled, snarled, whispered, mumbled to let the reader know more about the speaker's personality or mood.
One way to help chidren understand the rules of punctuating direct speech is to use a text message template to show an exchange of dialogue between characters. This helps children understand that the speech for each character starts on a new line. It is also helpful for reinforcing the learning point from Year 3, that only the spoken words should be included within the opening and closing inverted commas. Children can use the speech given in the model as the basis for writing their own dialogue between the two characters, constructing their own reporting clauses using appropriate speech verbs and adverbs.
Why not use the our KS2 English Journey scheme or our Text to Speech FreeBee to give children an opportunity to practise using direct speech in their writing?
Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 5
In Year 5, children should be able to vary the structure of their speech sentences, positioning the reporting clause at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the spoken words. Here, children should consider the impact of these choices on pace and intensity. Children should be taught that the reporting clause can reveal a lot about how the words are spoken and the character of the speaker and start to experiment with adding additional clauses to add further contextual detail.
As children become more proficient with the direct speech punctuation and sentence structure, the focus of teaching should shift to encouraging children to write coherent and effective dialogue which conveys character and/or advances the action of the story.
Teaching progression in direct speech - Year 6
By Year 6, children should be able to vary the structure of their speech sentences and extend these to provide the reader with extra details about the speaker or their environment. Children should continue to write dialogue which conveys character and/or advances the action of the story,. The focus of teaching should shift to ensure that the children can integrate dialogue well into their narratives and that they know how to strike a balance between dialogue and description to produce an enjoyable or gripping experience for the reader.
In additon, children should also be taught how and when to use the structures associated with formal and informal speech to help set the tone of their piece or to contextualise their writing within a certain time period. To do this, use texts which allow you to explore a variety of speech conventions used by different characters such as those by Arthur Conan Doyale (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) or Charles Dickens (e.g. Scrooge, the Artful Dodger).
LESSON PACK One Thousand and One Arabian Nights
FREE Speech Verbs and Adverbs Word Mat
LESSON PACK Journey
FREE Direct Speech Punctuation Guide
Added to your cart:
What's Your Email?
Let customers speak for us
These plans are great to use or adapt for you lessons.
Thank you for the review, Alison! We're glad you found our plans useful :-)
Cloud Tea Monkeys planning is detailed yet to the point. Exactly what I was looking for. Even more amazing & time saving is having all of the resources so it can be a ‘pick-up & teach’ plan. I chose to supplement it with more writing opportunities but it’s well worth the money.
Thanks for the review! We're so glad to hear that you found our English planning helpful and time-saving :-)
The Great Kapok Tree: Persuasive Writing
Thanks for the review! We're glad you liked the resources :-)
Flying Kites Display Pack
Thanks, Jasmine!
Greek Vase Template
Thanks, Kelsey!

- Home Learning
- Free Resources
- New Resources
- Free resources
- New resources
- Filter resources
Internet Explorer is out of date!
For greater security and performance, please consider updating to one of the following free browsers
Writing Direct Speech KS2 SPAG Test Practice
These questions have been taken from the KS2 SPAG test to help your children practise specific question types.
National Curriculum Objective
Year 3 and 4 English: (4G5.7) Use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech [for example, a comma after the reporting clause; end punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, “Sit down!”]
Differentiation:
Beginner Children to change reported speech to direct speech. Beginning of sentence, beginning of speech and punctuation given. Aimed at Year 3 Secure/Year 4 Emerging.
Easy Children to change reported speech to direct speech. Beginning of sentence given. Aimed at Year 4 Developing.
Tricky Children to change reported speech to direct speech. Aimed at Year 4 Secure.
Worksheets include answers.
Writing Direct Speech - Beginner (Worksheet)

Login to download
Not a member? Sign up here.
Writing Direct Speech - Easy (Worksheet)

Writing Direct Speech - Tricky (Worksheet)

Other Possible Linked Objectives English Y3/4: Introduction to inverted commas to punctuate direct speech
This resource is available to download with a Premium subscription.
Our Mission
To help our customers achieve a life/work balance and understand their differing needs by providing resources of outstanding quality and choice alongside excellent customer support..
Yes, I want that!
Latest Resources
- Year 4 Early Morning Work - Summer Week 2
- Equivalent Fractions as Bar Models - Discussion Problem
- Equivalent Fractions as Bar Models - Extension
- Equivalent Fraction Families - Extension
- Equivalent Fraction Families - Reasoning and Problem Solving
- Equivalent Fraction Families - Varied Fluency
- Year 3 Early Morning Work - Summer Week 2
- Add Fractions and Mixed Numbers - Discussion Problems
- Add Fractions and Mixed Numbers - Extension
- Add Fractions and Mixed Numbers - Reasoning and Problem Solving
Keep up to date by liking our Facebook page:
Membership login, stay in touch.
01422 419608
[email protected]
Interested in getting weekly updates from us? Then sign up to our newsletter here!
Information

- Cookie Policy
- Privacy Policy
- Terms and Conditions
Copyright: Classroom Secrets 2023
Company number: 8401067
VAT number: 248 8245 74
- Terms & Conditions
Designed by Classroom Secrets
Making great literacy lessons easy. Why join Plazoom?
Year 4 Direct and Reported Speech - KS2 Grammar Worksheets
Resource Collection SPaG Gym

Subscribe today and receive…
- Unlimited access to 1000s of resources
- 80+ CPD guides and 60+ training videos
- Access to THREE whole-school curriculums: - Real Writing - Real Comprehension - Real Grammar
- The complete Word Whosh vocabulary building programme
- Free subscription to Teach Reading & Writing magazine, and digital access to all back issues
- Exclusive, member-only resource collections
- New resources added every week
Practise and revise identifying and using direct and reported speech with this bright, appealing PDF grammar worksheet. Pupils will have the opportunity to rehearse various speech rules in KS2 when punctuating direct speech. Activities include test-style questions and opportunities for creative writing responses, with eye-catching images as prompts. This primary resource is divided into five sections: Understand Match the direct and reported speech Challenge Rewrite the reported speech as direct speech Test Identify direct and reported speech and punctuate direct speech correctly Explain Explain the difference between direct and reported speech Apply Write a short newspaper article that contains direct and reported speech
What is direct speech ?
Direct speech writes exactly what a person says, punctuated using inverted commas and other speech punctuation.
For example:
‘Everyone must follow the rules,’ explained Roger.
What is reported speech?
Reported speech states what someone said without necessarily reporting their actual words. For example: Roger explained that the rules must be followed by everyone. National Curriculum English programme of study links
Pupils should be taught to use and punctuate direct speech
This resource is part of the SPaG Gym collection. View more from this collection
Trending Today
Ks2 comprehension – classic literature…, ks1 and ks2 writing templates for…, year 1 home learning pack (1), year 6 spelling revision – ks2…, look inside.
Click through to see what this resource has to offer
More from this collection
-ing suffix year 1 grammar worksheets lesson pack, ks2 consonance spag worksheets, year 5 verb suffixes spag worksheets, year 4 paragraphs - ks2 grammar worksheets, year 2 apostrophes for singular possession - ks1 grammar worksheets, year 2 sentence types - ks1 grammar worksheets, year 2 conjunctions - ks1 grammar worksheets, year 5 adverbials of time, place and number - ks2 grammar worksheets, browse by year group, upgrade now.
Click 'Upgrade now' to activate your subscription. An invoice will appear on your accounts page and be sent by email. Once paid, the benefits of your full account will be unlocked within five days.

IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Direct speech is when the exact words that have been said by a person are written down inside inverted commas. Inverted commas (speech marks) go before and after direct speech. They...
Direct speech is when the exact words that have been said by a person are written down inside inverted commas. Inverted commas (speech marks) go before and after direct speech. They...
These handy writing direct speech KS2 worksheets feature a lovely set of differentiated activities in which children will need to add the correct punctuation as a fantastic starter activity and a stepping stone towards writing direct speech independently.
Use and Punctuate Direct Speech Teaching Ideas and Resource Pack 4.6 (27 reviews) Lower KS2 - Years 3 and 4 English Curriculum Aims Writing - Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation Use and punctuate direct speech Free Account Includes: Thousands of FREE teaching resources to download Pick your own FREE resource every week with our newsletter
Direct Speech Worksheets (KS2) Subject: English Age range: 7-11 Resource type: Worksheet/Activity 12 reviews File previews pdf, 695.03 KB pdf, 542.44 KB pdf, 603.77 KB Three differentiated resources that focus on direct speech and being able to punctuate it accurately.
The reporting clause of direct speech is the short clause that indicates who is talking. It is the clause that is outside of the inverted commas. It is therefore not the words being spoken. We can write the reporting clause either before or after the direct speech. If the reporting clause is before the direct speech, we write it as follows:
This KS2 English quiz will test you on direct speech. Direct speech is about writing dialogue. Learning to punctuate direct speech is helpful if you want to include dialogue in a story. Imagine your character with a speech bubble - which words would be inside the bubble? These are the words that go between the pair of speech marks.
Using speech marks. Before we look at speech marks, let's quickly review direct Using Speech Marks | Punctuating Direct Speech | EasyTeaching EasyTeaching 110K subscribers Subscribe...
This is a fantastic resource and lesson planning ideas pack that can teach key skills in writing, punctuating and recognising direct speech at a KS2 level. This pack brings you 12 beautifully illustrated, teacher-made resources, including: Direct speech KS2 speech bubbles - brilliant for display or interactive learning to give your KS2 examples ...
Direct Speech - Year 3 and 4. Lower KS2 English Teaching Resource. In this English punctuation teaching resource, pupils practise recognising, writing and punctuating direct speech as per the curriculum objectives of the Year 3 and 4 programme of study (Writing - vocabulary, grammar and punctuation).
Indirect speech is when the general points of what someone has said are reported, without actually writing the speech out in full. It is sometimes called reported speech. For example: Sam was excited to see a broomstick and a black pointy hat in the back of his teacher's car. He told his friend Louise about this and that he thought their ...
Direct speech examples "I'm tired," she yawned. "What's that sound?" he asked. "It's coming from under the floorboards!" Elle replied. The police officer shouted, "There they are!" Indirect speech examples Mrs Weismann asked you to go see her in her office. My dad told me to clear up my room. Jerry said he found the book out in the playground.
English- Journalistic Writing BUNDLE of lessons KS2. Journalistic writing is the style of writing used to report news stories in newspapers, television broadcasts, on radio and on the Internet. This bundle includes lessons on: - Forms of news - Features of newspaper articles - Direct and reported speech in newspaper reports - Identifying bias ...
Use a comma to separate the direct speech and reporting clause. Our KS2 English Journey scheme based on the beautifully illustrated book by Aaron Becker, is a fantastic way to introduce children to direct speech punctuation. Children tend to find rules three and four the most difficult so make sure you explicitly teach the following: a.
These questions have been taken from the KS2 SPAG test to help your children practise specific question types. National Curriculum Objective. Year 3 and 4 English: (4G5.7) Use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech [for example, a comma after the reporting clause; end punctuation within inverted commas: The conductor shouted, "Sit down!"]
This classroom display pack features a set of seven posters demonstrating the rules that must be remembered when writing direct speech in KS2. These eye-catching resources are perfect for Year 3 or Year 4 classroom displays when teaching the use of inverted commas or to revisit this area of grammar across Key Stage 2.
Practise and revise identifying and using direct and reported speech with this bright, appealing PDF grammar worksheet. Pupils will have the opportunity to rehearse various speech rules in KS2 when punctuating direct speech. Activities include test-style questions and opportunities for creative writing responses, with eye-catching images as prompts. This primary resource is divided into five ...