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English
Apostrophes and speech punctuation

Starter quiz

  • What is missing from the following speech first sentence? "he did it before I did!" exclaimed Jun in frustration.
    • inverted commas
    • a capital letter for 'he'  ✓
    • a full stop
    • a comma
  • What is the purpose of the reporting clause in this sentence? "This is appalling behaviour!" bellowed Mr Clarke angrily.
    • to show who is speaking  ✓
    • to show what the person said
    • to show how the person is feeling as they speak  ✓
    • to show how the person is speaking  ✓
  • Which punctuation mark is most appropriate for the gap in this sentence? "I need a volunteer to help me water these plants__________" said Miss Ofoedu with a smile.
    • ,  ✓
    • !
    • .
    • ?
  • Which option correctly punctuates this idea for a speech first sentence? can I help you Aisha asked nervously
    • "can I help you?" Aisha asked nervously.
    • "Can I help you" Aisha asked nervously.
    • "Can I help you?" Aisha asked nervously.  ✓
  • Match the direct speech to the most appropriate reporting clause.
    • "What's wrong?"
      ⇔
      asked Andeep kindly.  ✓
    • "Go away!"
      ⇔
      Alex shouted in anger.  ✓
    • "Let's not argue,"
      ⇔
      offered Sam with a smile.  ✓
  • Match the punctuation mark to the way it is used at the end of direct speech.
    • question mark
      ⇔
      used at the end of a question ✓
    • exclamation mark
      ⇔
      used to show strong emotions ✓
    • full stop
      ⇔
      not used in a speech first sentence ✓
    • comma
      ⇔
      used when there is no strong emotion ✓
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