We are masters at using a varirty of punctuation in our work, but do not often use inverted commas (speech marks). Inverted commas show us exactely which words are spoken by the characters in the story. Using speech in our writing really helps the reader to picture how the characters are reacting to situations, just like in a movie. Don't use too much speech at one time - otherwise our story can look more like a film script!

Activity

Using a different coloured pen or pencil (e.g. purple), add speech marks around the words which are said by the characters. Be careful not to put them around around words that are not spoken by anyone. 

Challenge

Write your own piece of dialogue (speech) between two characters. Remember to:

- Use speech marks around the text that is spoken.

- Say who has said each piece of speech.

- Use different synonyms for said e.g. whispered, shouted, cried etc

- Use adverbs to describe how the words are said e.g. quietly, loudly etc