Starter quiz
- When a character speaks out loud in a text, what is it called?
- reported speech
- character speech
- dialogue
- direct speech ✓
-
- Which part of the following sentence is the direct speech? '"I'm frightened" the little boy nervously told his mum.'
- I'm frightened ✓
- I'm
- frightened
- nervously told his mum
-
- Which word instead of 'said' has been used in the following sentence? '"Don't worry" his mum replied kindly.'
- Don't
- worry
- replied ✓
- kindly
-
- What are these " " punctuation marks called?
- apostrophes
- speech marks
- 66 and 99
- inverted commas ✓
-
- Why are inverted commas useful?
- to signal the direct speech to the reader ✓
- to distract the reader with symbols
- to tell the reader the synonym for 'said' that the writer used
- to mark the end of a sentence
-
- Which is the best explanation as to why direct speech can be useful to include in writing?
- Direct speech helps us understand less about a character's feelings & behaviour.
- Direct speech helps us understand how a character moves.
- Direct speech helps us understand where a story is set.
- Direct speech helps us understand more about a character's feelings & behaviour. ✓
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Exit quiz
- Which part of the following sentence is the direct speech? '"Let me go!" Jerry called out dramatically.'
- Let me
- Let me go ✓
- Jerry called
- Jerry called out
-
- Which part of the following sentence is the reporting clause? '"Let me go!" Jerry called out dramatically.'
- Let me go
- Jerry called
- Jerry called out
- Jerry called out dramatically ✓
-
- Which word instead of 'said' has been used in the following reporting clause? '"So you want to leave, do you?" the menacing man muttered sinisterly.'
- menacing
- muttered ✓
- sinisterly
-
- Which adverb has been used in the following reporting clause? '"Instantly!" the boy responded urgently.'
- boy
- responded
- urgently ✓
-
- Which punctuation is missing before the closing inverted commas in the following sentence? '"Where do you want to go " the villain asked.'
- ,
- !
- ? ✓
- .
-
- What is missing in the following speech first sentence? '"anywhere you aren't!" Jerry shouted back with more courage than he had ever found before.'
- a capital letter for the first word of direct speech ✓
- a question mark
- a synonym for 'said'
- a pair of inverted commas
-
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Direct speech is the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text.
- There is a set of rules for how to accurately punctuate direct speech.
- Inverted commas are the punctuation marks that signal direct speech to the reader.
- The speech sentence spoken by a character must start with a capital letter.
- If direct speech comes first in a sentence with the reporting clause second, it can be called a speech first sentence.
Common misconception
Pupils may not know what 'speech first' means.
Explain that if the direct speech opens or comes first in the sentence with the reporting clause afterwards or second, this can be referred to as a speech first sentence.
Keywords
Direct speech - the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text
Reporting clause - a clause that tells the reader who said the speech and how
Clause - a group of words that contains a verb
Speech first sentence - a sentence that includes direct speech first before the reporting clause
Inverted commas - a pair of punctuation marks that signals direct speech to the reader
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