There are three rules to follow to punctuate your inverted commas correctly:

1. When a speech tag follows a line of dialogue, use a comma before the final inverted comma, e.g. “That’s my chair,” said Tom.
2. When a speech tag does not follow a line of dialogue, use an appropriate stop mark before the final inverted comma, e.g. Tom said, “That’s my chair.”
3. When a speech tag comes before a line of dialogue, use a comma before opening a pair of inverted commas, e.g. Tom said, “That’s my chair.”

Read the passage of dialogue below. Using the three rules to help you, highlight any mistakes in the punctuation and re-write the passage correctly in the box below.

Finally, re-read your own writing. Highlight any inverted commas used and ensure the correct punctuation has been added.

You have done a great job using dialogue to show two clear voices, like when Jasper says, ‘I want to go back,’ and the robot answers with questions, which moves the plot forward.

You did an excellent job of creating a futuristic atmosphere with vivid descriptions like, ‘It was not a normal city, it was soooooo big. In the city, there were flying cars,’ which help the reader imagine the scene clearly.

Well done for using inverted commas around your dialogue. Remember to punctuate in and around them correctly. For example, when you wrote ‘“No” said Jasper. “I want to go back” he said’, you should have written “No,” said Jasper. “I want to go back,” he said.

If you use a fronted adverbial such as ‘In the city’, or ‘Inside the door’, make sure that you follow it with a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

There are three rules to follow to punctuate your inverted commas correctly:

1. When a speech tag follows a line of dialogue, use a comma before the final inverted comma, e.g. “That’s my chair,” said Tom.
2. When a speech tag does not follow a line of dialogue, use an appropriate stop mark before the final inverted comma, e.g. Tom said, “That’s my chair.”
3. When a speech tag comes before a line of dialogue, use a comma before opening a pair of inverted commas, e.g. Tom said, “That’s my chair.”

Read the passage of dialogue below. Using the three rules to help you, highlight any mistakes in the punctuation and re-write the passage correctly in the box below.

Finally, re-read your own writing. Highlight any inverted commas used and ensure the correct punctuation has been added.

You have done a great job using dialogue to show two clear voices, like when Jasper says, ‘I want to go back,’ and the robot answers with questions, which moves the plot forward.

You did an excellent job of creating a futuristic atmosphere with vivid descriptions like, ‘It was not a normal city, it was soooooo big. In the city, there were flying cars,’ which help the reader imagine the scene clearly.

Well done for using inverted commas around your dialogue. Remember to punctuate in and around them correctly. For example, when you wrote ‘“No” said Jasper. “I want to go back” he said’, you should have written “No,” said Jasper. “I want to go back,” he said.

If you use a fronted adverbial such as ‘In the city’, or ‘Inside the door’, make sure that you follow it with a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

There are three rules to follow to punctuate your inverted commas correctly:

1. When a speech tag follows a line of dialogue, use a comma before the final inverted comma, e.g. “That’s my chair,” said Tom.
2. When a speech tag does not follow a line of dialogue, use an appropriate stop mark before the final inverted comma, e.g. Tom said, “That’s my chair.”
3. When a speech tag comes before a line of dialogue, use a comma before opening a pair of inverted commas, e.g. Tom said, “That’s my chair.”

Read the passage of dialogue below. Using the three rules to help you, highlight any mistakes in the punctuation and re-write the passage correctly in the box below.

Finally, re-read your own writing. Highlight any inverted commas used and ensure the correct punctuation has been added.

You have done a great job using dialogue to show two clear voices, like when Jasper says, ‘I want to go back,’ and the robot answers with questions, which moves the plot forward.

You did an excellent job of creating a futuristic atmosphere with vivid descriptions like, ‘It was not a normal city, it was soooooo big. In the city, there were flying cars,’ which help the reader imagine the scene clearly.

Well done for using inverted commas around your dialogue. Remember to punctuate in and around them correctly. For example, when you wrote ‘“No” said Jasper. “I want to go back” he said’, you should have written “No,” said Jasper. “I want to go back,” he said.

If you use a fronted adverbial such as ‘In the city’, or ‘Inside the door’, make sure that you follow it with a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.