PunctuationP7 level18 questions in the full course

Punctuating SpeechSEAG Practice Questions

Using quotation marks around exact spoken words, placing the speech's punctuation at the correct boundary, and punctuating interrupted or separate speech.

Where your child meets this in real life: Stories and reports use direct speech to preserve a speaker's exact words, so readers need clear boundaries between the quotation and the reporting clause.

What your child needs to know

In the SEAG test

Punctuation is questions 1 to 5 of the English section in each SEAG paper. They are multiple choice, such as finding the part of a sentence that has a mistake.

SEAGReady breaks punctuating speech into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.

  1. 1

    Marking the Spoken Words

    Place speech marks around exactly the words spoken aloud, keeping the reporting words (said Orla) outside.

  2. 2

    Punctuation Inside the Marks

    Punctuate speech correctly: a capital letter to start the spoken words, and a comma, question mark or exclamation mark INSIDE the closing speech mark.

  3. 3

    Interrupted and Separate Speech

    Punctuate separate and interrupted pieces of direct speech, choosing the correct opening mark, inside punctuation and capitalisation after reporting words.

Try these SEAG-style questions

Try three free questions from our punctuating speech course. They start easy and get harder, so you can see where your child's confidence runs out. If they manage the last one without a hint, this topic is probably secure. If not, the steps above show where to start.

Question 1Confidence builder
Which section contains the punctuation mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section AMum called up the stairs,Section BDinner is on the table,Section Cso come downSection Dnow."

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if there is no mistake.

Question 2Standard
Which section contains the punctuation mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section ALewis said,Section B"The tide isSection Ccoming inSection Dfast."

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if there is no mistake.

Question 3Stretch
Which section contains the punctuation mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section A"Before we leave,"Section Bsaid Finn, "check your bag.Section CMake sure," he added,Section D"That you have your lunch."

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if there is no mistake.

Try the lesson: Marking the Spoken Words

This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.

Rosie is rushing her little brother. The sentence already has its other punctuation: Rosie said, Hurry up or we will miss the ferry.

Where should the opening and closing speech marks go?

Do the say-it-aloud test
1

Ask which words actually came out of Rosie's mouth. She said the words 'Hurry up or we will miss the ferry.'

Step 1 of 4

Prefer to read? See every step written out

Rosie is rushing her little brother. The sentence already has its other punctuation: Rosie said, Hurry up or we will miss the ferry.

Where should the opening and closing speech marks go?

  1. 1

    Do the say-it-aloud test

    • Ask which words actually came out of Rosie's mouth. She said the words 'Hurry up or we will miss the ferry.'
    • 'Rosie said' is the storyteller telling us who spoke - Rosie never said those words.
  2. 2

    Place the speech marks at the boundaries

    • Keep the supplied capital letter and open the speech marks just before the first spoken word: "Hurry...
    • Close them just after the last spoken word: ...ferry."

The sentence is written: Rosie said, "Hurry up or we will miss the ferry."

The key insight: Speech marks are a fence around ONLY the words the speaker actually said - the reporting words always stay outside the fence.

Common mix-up: "Rosie said, Hurry up or we will miss the ferry.". This encloses the reporting words 'Rosie said'. Those words tell the reader who spoke; Rosie did not say them aloud.

Mistakes to watch for

These are the misconceptions we see most often in punctuating speech, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.

  • Including the reporting words ('said Millie') inside the speech marks
  • Putting the comma or end mark outside the closing speech mark
  • Forgetting the capital letter at the start of the spoken words
  • Capitalising resumed speech even when the same spoken sentence continues after a reporting clause

Build these skills first

Struggling with punctuating speech? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.

Capital Letters and End MarksCommas in Lists and Sentences

More punctuation practice

ApostrophesColons, Semicolons, Brackets and HyphensProofreading for Punctuation

Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.

18 questions on this topic alone

Master punctuating speech and everything it unlocks

SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.

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