See free Year 4 direct speech punctuation worked examples with clear strategies and answers, aligned to the England primary curriculum.
Try each question first, then compare the strategy and answer. The aim is to understand the method, not just copy the final result.
How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.
Answer: Maya said, “I can help.”
How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.
Answer: “Wait,” called Ben.
How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.
Answer: “Are you coming?” asked Leo.
How to think about it: Identify the sentence feature first, apply the rule only where it is needed, then reread the whole sentence aloud to check that the meaning and punctuation are clear.
Answer: True