Punctuating spoken words — English writing skills for kids

Writing tip

Words said go inside — “the spoken words and their end mark go inside the quotation marks”

1. Put the exact spoken words inside “ ”, starting with a capital letter.
2. Speaker after: “Please sit down,” said the teacher. — a comma (or ? for a question) inside the closing mark, a full stop at the end.
3. Speaker first: Mum said, “Come here.” — a comma after said / asked, and the end mark inside the closing mark.

Use it for: Writing conversations in stories, and direct-speech punctuation questions in tests.

Worked example: Which sentence is punctuated correctly? → “Where is my bag?” asked Maria.

✏️ Practice

Read every choice carefully, then tap the one that is written correctly. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

🏁 Lesson 23 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

🏅 Sign in with Google to earn the 💬 Quote Mark Master badge when you pass — and a certificate when you finish all 8 lessons of Part 3 · Letters, notices and messages. You can still take the test without signing in.

🖨️ Punctuation in Dialogue Worksheet

• Worksheet set 1 (PDF)
• Worksheet set 2 (PDF)
• Worksheet set 3 (PDF)