What You Need to Know

Speech marks (" ") go around the exact words spoken

A comma separates the speech from the speech tag (said, whispered, shouted)

Start a new paragraph every time a different character speaks

Vary the speech verb to show how something is said (whispered, yelled, asked)

Key Vocabulary

The spoken conversation between characters in a story

Punctuation (" ") placed around the words actually spoken

The phrase that tells who is speaking, e.g. "she said" or "he whispered"

A new paragraph is started each time a different character speaks

Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.

Question 1

Where do speech marks go?

Around the entire sentence Around the speech tag only Around the exact words that are spoken At the start of each paragraph

Question 2

Which is punctuated correctly?

"I am hungry" said Tom. I am hungry, said Tom. "I am hungry", said Tom. "I am hungry," said Tom.

Question 3

When do you start a new paragraph in dialogue?

When a different character speaks After every sentence Only at the beginning of the story Every three lines