English
What are inverted commas?
Quick answer
Inverted commas, also called speech marks or quotation marks, go around the exact words someone says, like "Come here," said Mum.
In one sentence
Inverted commas are punctuation marks placed around the exact words a person says or writes.
Explained
In stories, inverted commas show readers which words are spoken aloud: "Watch out for the puddle!" called Dad. Everything inside the marks is what Dad actually said.
Names vary by place. The national curriculum in England uses inverted commas; many teachers and children say speech marks. In the US, Canada and most style guides they are quotation marks or quotes. They come as doubles (" ") or singles (' '). US writing generally uses doubles; UK publishers often use singles. Either is fine in school if you are consistent.
The rules for punctuating direct speech:
Step by step
- Open the marksPut them just before the first spoken word, and start the speech with a capital letter.
- Write the exact wordsCopy what was said, word for word.
- Punctuate insideEnd the speech with punctuation inside the closing marks: a comma if the sentence carries on ("I'm cold," said Amina.), or a question mark or exclamation mark if needed ("Are you cold?" asked Amina.).
- Close the marksThen add the reporting clause (said Amina) in lower case.
- New speaker, new lineStart a new paragraph each time someone else speaks.
If the reporting clause comes first, put a comma before the speech: Amina said, "I'm cold."
Reported (indirect) speech does not use inverted commas, because it is not the exact words: Amina said that she was cold.
Inverted commas also mark quotations from a text (The poem calls the sea "a hungry dog".) and titles of short works such as songs or poems.
book
pencil
mouth
Examples
- "Can I have a turn?" asked Kofi.
- "This is the best day ever!" shouted Rosa.
- Mrs Patel said, "Line up quietly, please."
- "If we hurry," said Ben, "we'll catch the bus."
Common mistakes
- Punctuation outside the marks. Write "Hello," she said, not "Hello", she said.
- A capital on "said". "Hi," Said Max should be said.
- Marking reported speech. He said "that he was late" needs no inverted commas.
- Everyone talking in one paragraph. Start a new line for each speaker.
Quick quiz
Inverted commas
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Question 1 of 4
What are inverted commas usually called in the US?
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Related topics
Commas
A comma is a punctuation mark that shows a short pause or separates parts of a sentence, such as items in a list, a fronted adverbial, or extra information.
Capital letters
Use a capital letter at the start of every sentence, for names (proper nouns), for the word I, and at the start of direct speech and most titles.
Question marks
A question mark (?) goes at the end of a sentence that asks a direct question, like Where are my shoes? It replaces the full stop.
Sentences
A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense on its own. It starts with a capital letter, ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark, and usually has a verb.
Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. Start a new paragraph when the time, place, topic or speaker changes.
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, telling you what kind, which one or how many, like a huge elephant, a sour lemon or three red balloons.