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Punctuation in direct speech

We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (") are preferred in American English, while single quotes (') are more common in British English:

" I'm coming home late tonight, " she said. (American English) ' I'm coming home late tonight, ' she said. (British English)

If we quote within direct speech, we use the other style for the embedded quotation:

"She said, ' I'm coming home late tonight ', " recalled Jim. (American English) 'She said, " I'm coming home late tonight ", ' recalled Jim. (British English)

As can be seen in the examples above, a comma ( , ) is used at the end of the quotation, before the closing speech mark.

A comma is also used before the quotation if we start the sentence with the reporting clause. In this case the terminal full stop (.) comes before the closing speech mark:

She added , "Don't expect me before 11 . "

If the quotation is a question or exclamation, the terminal marks ( ? and ! ) also come before the closing speech marks:

"Hurry up ! " he shouted. She asked, "Am I late ? "

The quotation normally begins with a capital letter, except if it is interrupted by a reporting clause, in which case the first letter of the continuation is not capitalised:

" I 'm coming home late tonight," she said and added, " d on't expect me before 11."

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English lessons and resources

Direct speech writing rules in English

7th January 2019 by Andrew 14 Comments

In the above picture, Mark is talking to Jane. The words inside the blue box are the exact words that he speaks.

Here is how we express this:

This is direct speech. Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.

In this English lesson, you will learn:

• The rules for writing direct speech.
• The correct punctuation.
• Vocabulary to report direct speech.

Reporting clause before the direct speech

The reporting clause of direct speech is the short clause that indicates who is talking. It is the clause that is outside of the inverted commas. It is therefore not the words being spoken.

We can write the reporting clause either before or after the direct speech. If the reporting clause is before the direct speech, we write it as follows:

Grammar rules – If the reporting clause is before the direct speech:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause after the direct speech

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is after a question or exclamation:

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.

Advanced rules for direct speech

Sometimes we break up the direct speech into 2 parts:

The second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it is the same sentence as the first part of the direct speech.

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.

Vocabulary of direct speech

We have several names for the above punctuation marks:

Inverted commas Speech marks Quotation marks Quotes

Other reporting verbs

Here are some other useful reporting verbs:

reply (replied) ask (asked) shout (shouted) agree (agreed) comment (commented) admit (admitted)

They are often used for writing direct speech in books, newspapers and reports. It is more common to use them in reporting clauses after the direct speech.

“I really don’t like her dress,” she commented . “I don’t love you anymore,” he admitted .

Other English lessons

Private online English lessons How to pass the IELTS with a band 8 Adverbs of frequency Indefinite article “a” and “an” The prepositions FOR and SINCE All of our lessons

Direct speech video lesson

Reader Interactions

Matěj Formánek says

3rd November 2019 at 5:54 pm

How about this sentence: I know the satnav is wrong!” exclaimed Zena. – Why the subject and predicate are swapped? It’s sentence from textbook so I’m confused.

17th June 2020 at 4:07 pm

Can we write multiple sentences in direct speech that comes before reporting clause? In case if this is allowed, what punctuation mark should be used after the last sentence?

Example: “I entered the class room. As I did not find anybody there, I left the class room and went to buy a coffee.” explained the student to the teacher for his delay to come to the class.

Should the punctuation mark after the word coffee be comma instead of full stop?

Joaquim Barretto says

14th September 2020 at 1:25 pm

No full stop, but comma after the word coffee.

19th January 2021 at 2:34 pm

HI IM DAISY

courtney says

27th January 2021 at 12:07 pm

Clare Hatcher says

12th March 2021 at 9:55 am

Hello I like the layout of this – very clear. Just wondering if it is correct to use a comma in between two separate sentences in direct speech. I think that now in published material you find this instead. ‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘Let’s stay at home.’ Would appreciate your thoughts Thanks

27th March 2021 at 8:54 am

If I wrote something with a comma at the end to continue speech like this:

“Hello,” he waved to the new student, “what’s you’re name?”

Do I have to use a capital letter even if I’m continuing with a comma or is it lowercase?

Sylvia Edouard says

30th September 2023 at 9:17 am

Yes, you need to use a capital letter as speech from someone has to start with a capital letter. Always.

15th April 2022 at 12:12 pm

which of the following is correct?

1. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document?”

2. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document,”? (comma inside)

3. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document.”? (full stop inside)

Jan Švanda says

7th September 2023 at 1:31 pm

I presume the quotation is there to specify the exact phrase (for the metadata entry). I also encounter this from time to time, when writing technical documentation. I believe in that case you should write the phrase as it is, proper grammar be damned; beautifully looking documentation is useless if it leads to incorrect results.

In this case, I don’t even think this is “direct speech”, the metadata entry isn’t walking around and saying things, the quotation mark is there to indicate precise phrase – similar to marking strings in programming languages. Because of this, I don’t think direct speech rules apply, or at least, they should take back seat. If the expected status includes full stop at the end, the sentence would be:

4. Should the status go missing when the metadata states “Sign & return document.”? (no comma before, since it is not a direct speech; full stop inside, as it is part of the quoted status)

From grammatical perspective the end looks a bit ugly, but again, if this should be technical documentation, that is less important than precision.

A person says

15th August 2022 at 7:16 pm

One extra thing: YOU MUST NOT USE THE WORD SAID IN A REPORTING CLAUSE. EVER. IT’S UNIMAGINATIVE.

no joke, it’s actually discouraged and even close to banned at my school

7th September 2023 at 1:49 pm

This is stupid. You shouldn’t use it in _every_ sentence, there should be variety, but outright banning it doesn’t make sense.

Case in point:

Book: ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Phrase to search: ‘,” said’ (comma, followed by quotation mark, followed by space, followed by word ‘said’). Number of occurrences: 211. Total number of ‘,”‘ (comma, followed by quotation mark) strings is 436, so “said” is used in almost 50% cases of direct speech of this type.

I don’t think it would be right for your school to ban Jane Austin, do you?

blaire says

30th March 2024 at 5:36 pm

How do you use names in direct speech?

Is it: “I really don’t like her dress,” Ashley said. or “I really don’t like her dress,” said Ashley.

I’ve seen both and I’m so confused which one is correct, please help me.

Andrew says

3rd April 2024 at 11:31 am

Hello and thanks for your comment and question.

After the direct speech, both are correct.

Before the direct speech, only the first one is correct:

Ashley said, “I really don’t like her dress.” (correct) Said Ashley, “I really don’t like her dress.” (wrong)

I hope that helps you. Andrew https://www.youtube.com/@CrownAcademyEnglish/

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• Punctuation /

Direct Speech Punctuation: Learn Rules of Usage with Examples

• Updated on  
• May 3, 2024

Direct speech punctuation is used in reported speech to separate spoken words or dialogue from the rest of the sentence. Some of the common symbols used to punctuate direct speech are commas, inverted commas, exclamation marks and many more. Keep reading this blog hereon to know all about the reported speech punctuations and how they can be used with specific without committing any grammatical error. 

This Blog Includes:

What is direct speech punctuation, list of direct speech punctuation and examples, using commas in direct speech , using question mark punctuation in direct speech, use of exclamation mark as direct speech punctuation.

Learn All About Punctuation Here!

When using direct speech punctuation in your writing, one can more clearly convey what someone said. To distinguish spoken words from the surrounding text, it employs a combination of quotation marks, capitalization, and commas.

Here is a list of direct speech punctuation marks with their examples. 

Rules of Using Direct Speech Punctuation Marks with Examples

Take a look at the rules for using direct speech punctuation marks along with the examples to get a better understanding. 

Commas are key players in punctuating direct speech, they help in clarifying who’s saying what. Here are examples of how commas work through examples:

Comma after the Introductory Clause:

This is the most common scenario. When you introduce who’s speaking before their words, use a comma to separate them.

Example: “I’m going for a walk,” she said.

Comma before the Closing Quotation Mark:

If you introduce the speaker after their words, put a comma before the closing quotation mark.

Example: “I’m going to the store,” said my sister.

Double Commas with Interruptions:

If you interrupt the quoted speech with an attribution (who’s speaking), use a comma after the first part of the speech, another comma after the attribution, and then continue the quotation marks.

Example: “Wait a minute,” she interjected, “did you forget something?”

Commas and Question/Exclamation Marks:

Generally, you don’t need a comma after the quoted speech if it ends with a question mark or exclamation mark since the punctuation already indicates a pause. But, if the introductory clause comes first, the comma goes before the closing quotation mark (even with a question or exclamation mark).

Example: “Are you sure?” she asked. 

Also Read: What is the Use of Commas (,): Meaning, Rules, & Examples 

Question marks are indeed used in direct speech to indicate an interrogative sentence. Here’s how they work:

Direct Questions:  

Whenever someone asks a question in quoted speech, you use a question mark within the quotation marks, regardless of the sentence structure around it.

• Example: “Where are you going?” he asked.
• Example: “Have you seen my keys?” she wondered.

Question Mark with Attribution:  

If you introduce the speaker with a phrase before their question, the question mark remains inside the quotation marks, and a comma separates the introductory phrase. Example: Confused, he asked, “What’s going on here?”

Also Read: Question Mark Punctuation (?): Definition, Usage, and Examples

Exclamation marks are just as important as commas and question marks when it comes to punctuating reported speech. Here’s how they function:

Exclamations in Speech:  

Just like with questions, use an exclamation mark inside the quotation marks when the spoken words themselves express strong emotion or surprise.

• Example: “Look out!” she screamed.
• Example: “I won the lottery!” he exclaimed.

Exclamation Mark with Attribution: 

Similar to questions, if you introduce the speaker with a phrase before the exclamation, the exclamation mark stays within the quotation marks, separated by a comma from the introductory phrase. Example: Surprised, she shouted, “Get out of here!”

Also Read: 20+ Exclamation Mark examples in Sentences with Usage  

If the direct speech is at the beginning of the sentence then you must put a comma before the final quotation mark. 

Direct speech is a sentence where the exact words are put in speech marks also known as quotation marks.

Direct speech is surrounded by quotation marks. Indirect speech, on the other hand, is not surrounded by speech marks and is just written within the text. 

Related Reads

This was all about direct speech punctuation, its rules, examples and related information. Hope you understand the concept and know how to proceed. You can also follow the Learn English page of Leverage Edu for more exciting and informative blogs related to grammar. 

Malvika Chawla

Malvika is a content writer cum news freak who comes with a strong background in Journalism and has worked with renowned news websites such as News 9 and The Financial Express to name a few. When not writing, she can be found bringing life to the canvasses by painting on them.

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Ultimate English Grammar, Vocabulary, and Names Database

Direct Speech or Quoted Speech

Introduction to direct speech or quoted speech.

Direct Speech, also known as Quoted Speech, is a common grammatical construction used in both written and spoken language. This tutorial serves as a comprehensive guide to mastering this important literary device. Let's start by understanding what direct speech is.

Table of Contents

Understanding Direct Speech

Direct speech refers to the exact wording of someone's comments or speech as it was spoken. In written text, direct speech usually appears in quotation marks or inverted commas to denote that the words were spoken or written by another person. The actual text of direct speech punctuated with a speech tag, which identifies the speaker and might provide additional context.

• John said, "I love playing football."

In this example, "I love playing football," is the direct speech, and "John said," is the speech tag.

Formatting Direct Speech

Following are some standard rules regarding the formatting and punctuating of direct speech:

Rule 1: Opening and Closing Quotation Marks

Always use opening and closing quotation marks to indicate the start and end of the direct speech portion of the sentence. These could be double (“ ”) or single (‘ ’) quotation marks, depending on the convention of the media or publication.

• "I am going home," said Maria.

Rule 2: Speech Tag Placement

The location of the speech tag can change, depending on the context and the intended effect. It can either be placed before, in between, or after the direct speech.

• She said, "I am tired."
• "I am," he said, "very hungry."
• "Let's go to the park," suggested Tim.

Rule 3: Capitalization and Punctuation

In direct speech, every new spoken line starts with a capital letter. Also, when the speech tag is at the end of the sentence, the quoted sentence should end with a comma, question mark, or exclamation mark but not with a period.

• John said, "Please pass the salt."
• "Where are we going?" asked Mary.
• "What a beautiful view!" exclaimed Susan.

Understanding the Speech Tag

The speech tag typically has two parts: the noun (or noun phrase) that refers to the speaker and the reporting verb (e.g., "said", "asked", "whispered") that characterizes the mode of speech. It's also possible to add adverbial modifiers to describe the manner of speech.

• "I can't wait to play the game," Tom said excitedly.

Overriding Rules in Direct Speech

While the rules mentioned above can guide you in punctuating most direct speeches correctly, some exceptions or overriding rules can alter punctuation and capitalization. Here are some examples:

Rule 1: Interrupted Speech

If the speech tag interrupts the direct speech, both parts of the speech would begin with a lowercase letter, assuming they form a single sentence.

• "I can't," she whispered, "stand to see him upset."

Rule 2: Consecutive Sentences

When a character speaks consecutive sentences, start the second one with a capital letter.

• "Please leave," she said. "I need to be alone."

Concluding Remarks

Mastering direct speech or quoted speech can enhance your writing skills tremendously, helping you write compelling dialogue and effectively integrate quotes in your work. By following the guidelines set in this tutorial, you'll be well on your way to using direct speech like a pro. Happy writing!

Practice Exercises:

• Rewrite the following sentences with appropriate use of quoted speech:
• Sam said that he was too tired to study.
• Jane thought that it was a splendid idea.
• He didn't know where she was going.
• Use direct speech to write a conversation between two characters about their weekend plans.

Related Posts:

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech: direct speech

Direct speech is a representation of the actual words someone said. A direct speech report usually has a reporting verb in the past simple. The most common reporting verb is said . The reporting clause may come first or second.

The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:

“No,” she said , “I’ve never seen it before.”

‘Was it,’ he asked , ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’

We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:

“I will not accept it!” he said angrily .

‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously .

Reported speech: punctuation

Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses

Direct speech: inversion of subject and reporting verb

In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):

“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V] said [S] the old man .

‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V] cried [S] Maurice .

Direct speech: present simple and continuous reporting verbs

Informal narratives.

In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:

So then this guy says , “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says , “Open that.”

We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:

And he’s looking at me and he ’s asking , “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he ’s mumbling , “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons ( I, you, she, he, we, they ):

She says , ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says , ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’

Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.

Newspaper headlines

We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:

‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER

Say or tell ?

Word of the Day

If you are on hold when using the phone, you are waiting to speak to someone.

Searching out and tracking down: talking about finding or discovering things

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How do you write direct speech in English? - Easy Learning Grammar

• The comma comes inside the quotation marks, unless the reporting verb is positioned inside a reported sentence that itself does not require a comma.
• Typical reporting verbs are: agree, answer, ask, inquire, explain, say, tell, and wonder.
• The words spoken are enclosed in inverted commas (single or double quotation marks).
• Single quotation marks are often used to draw attention to a word that is being mentioned for a particular purpose. 

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• English Grammar
• Direct Speech

What is Direct Speech? - Learn the Meaning, Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

In English grammar , the term ‘speech’ refers to the process of communicating or expressing one’s thoughts. It is an exchange of ideas or even a conversation. There are two ways in which you can report speech – direct speech and indirect speech . Direct speech is used to report or rather repeat the words spoken by the speaker or writer in the way it is told by the speaker, whereas indirect speech is the way in which you convey what someone said to another person, not necessarily using the exact words of the speaker.

In this article, you will learn the meaning and definition of direct speech. Also, go through the rules to be followed when using the direct speech and the examples given to understand how to use them accurately.

Table of Contents

Definition of direct speech.

• Rules to Be Followed When Using Direct Speech

Tips to Practise Direct Speech

Examples of direct speech, test your understanding of direct speech, frequently asked questions on direct speech in english, what is direct speech.

Direct speech is a word-to-word repetition of what the speaker or writer has conveyed. In other words, it is a way in which you can report the exact words of the speaker. Direct speech can be used to convey something that is being said in the present or to tell someone about something that is to happen at a later point of time. Let us now take a look at how various dictionaries define direct speech to further understand what it is.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, direct speech is defined as “a speaker’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “when you use direct speech, you repeat what someone has said using exactly the words they used.” The Collins Dictionary defines direct speech as “speech which is reported by using the exact words that the speaker used” and according to the Macmillan Dictionary, direct speech is defined as “the exact words that someone has said.”

Rules to be Followed When Using Direct Speech

Like every other grammar topic, there are rules to be followed when using direct speech. Let us look at each one of them to know how direct speech can be used accurately and effectively.

• The first point that you have to remember is that direct speech is the repetition of the exact words of the speaker and so you do not have a choice to add or remove words to and from what is said.
• For the same reason, these words spoken by the speaker have to be enclosed within quotation marks or speech marks.
• When using direct speech, you can follow the formula given below.
• You can also use words like replied, asked, screamed, etc. to state what the speaker said according to the emotion in which it is being spoken.
• Immediately after one of the above-mentioned verbs , add a comma followed by open quotation marks, the words of the speaker (capitalise the first letter of the first word) followed by a period, question mark or exclamation mark and the close quotation marks.
• Also, make sure you close the quotation marks after the punctuation mark (full stop/question mark/exclamation mark).
• Finally, keep in mind that you cannot change the words, or paraphrase what has been said by the speaker when you are using direct speech.

You can become an expert in using direct speech if you practise well. Here are some ways you can do it.

• Try reading short stories and converting it into a dialogue. Change the lines of every character into direct speech.
• Write a story on your own. Use direct speech to convey all the dialogues.
• Narrate or write about an incident or a day in your life using direct speech.

Now that you know the rules to be followed, take a look at the following examples to have a better idea of how it is done.

• Devi said, “I am teaching French for first year and second year college students.”
• Freeda asked her brother, “Can you pick me up on your way home?”
• “My friends are finally coming home this weekend”, said Sheena.
• The students replied, “We are ready!”
• Gayatri siad, “My father has been working as a doctor for ten years. “
• “What are you going to do with the broken mirror?”, asked Mridula.
• Carol said, “I have planned to wear a grey dress for the prom.”
• The teacher says, “You have to make your submissions before 8 a.m. on Monday.”
• The little boy said excitedly, “That was wonderful!”
• Maduri said, sitting on the sofa, “I am really happy I finally took time to come see you.”

Rearrange the following sentences to form direct speech and punctuate them appropriately.

1. vishal / my / is / in / brother / participating / race / said / the / running

2. asked / i / devi / like / maths / problems / solving / free time/ your / in / do / you

3. friends / said / wearing / we / my / are / red / for / dresses / wedding / the / reception

4. responded / teacher / nobody / when / have / completed / the / you / project / many / of / how / asked / the

5. reach / says / tonight / bangalore / he / will / i

6. guest / the / danced / children / the / chief / said / beautifully

7. mom / Finn’s / they / all / said / singing / favourite / are / songs / his

8. Bellas / susan / are / the / said / live / performing / world / the / acapella / at / raiser / curtain

9. love / father / said / i / my / you

10. sing / asked / you / with / maria / her / me / will

Now, if you finished rearranging the sentences, check if you have done it correctly from the answers given below.

1. Vishal said, “My brother is participating in the running race.”

2. I asked Devi, “Do you like solving maths problems in your freetime?”

3. My friends said, “We are wearing red dresses for the wedding reception.”

4. Nobody responded when the teacher asked, “How many of you have completed the project?”

5. He says, “I will reach Bangalore tonight.”

6. The chief guest said, “The children danced beautifully.”

7. Finn’s mom said, “They are singing all his favourite songs.”

8. “The Bellas are performing live at the World Acapella Curtain Raiser”, said Susan.

9. My father said, “I love you.”

10. Maria asked, “Will you sing with me?”

What is direct speech?

Direct speech is a word-to-word repetition of what the speaker or writer has conveyed. In other words, it is the way in which you report the exact words of the speaker. Direct speech can be used to convey something that is being said in the present or to tell someone at a later point of time.

What is the definition of direct speech?

What is the formula of direct speech.

When using direct speech, you can follow the formula given below. Name of the speaker says/said, “Exact words of the speaker.”

How do you punctuate the sentence when using direct speech?

Immediately after the phrase mentioning who said the particular sentence, add a comma followed by open quotation marks, the words of the speaker (capitalise the first letter of the first word) followed by a period, question mark or exclamation mark and the close quotation marks.

Give some examples of direct speech.

Here are a few examples of direct speech that you can refer to.

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How to structure and punctuate direct speech in fiction

Part of English Creative writing

• Direct speech is any word spoken by a character, it can be used to help develop the characters and plot.
• Direct speech should sit inside speech marks .
• Direct speech must be carefully structured and punctuated to clearly separate it from the rest of the text.

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Learn how to correctly structure and punctuate direct speech when writing fiction

Speech marks

Punctuation is used in direct speech to separate spoken words, or dialogue, from the rest of a story. The words spoken by a character sit inside speech marks:

“Did you hear that noise?” whispered Sam.

Speech marks are sometimes known as inverted commas or quotation marks.

Some writers use double speech marks and some use single speech marks. You can use either type as long as you are consistent - it’s important not to swap between the two.

Remember to open - and close - the speech marks at the start - and end - of the direct speech:

“I think there is something moving in the bushes,” George said.

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Punctuating direct speech.

Clear handout explaining the basics of punctuating direct speech. Split into three sections: the speech marks, the remaining punctuation, and the use of a new paragraph / line for each new speaker. Each section has an accompanying set of exercises. Mapped to the Functional English criteria and adult literacy curriculum elements.

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Direct Speech Definition and Examples

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

ThoughtCo / Vin Ganapathy

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Direct speech is a report of the exact words used by a speaker or writer. Contrast with indirect speech . Also called direct discourse .

Direct speech is usually placed inside quotation marks and accompanied by a reporting verb , signal phrase , or quotative frame.

Examples and Observations

• I went in search of the good beer. Along the way, I caught an intriguing snippet of conversation in the sunroom: “ So if I win at that table, I’ll go on to the World Series, ” said the mom I know as some kind of government contractor. “ World Series? ” you ask. “ Of Poker, ” she replied. “ I went last year. ” Whoa. (Petula Dvorak, "White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Has Nothing on Suburban Fete." The Washington Post , May 3, 2012)
• " How old are you? " the man asked. "The little boy, at the eternal question, looked at the man suspiciously for a minute and then said, " Twenty-six. Eight hunnerd and forty eighty. " His mother lifted her head from the book. " Four ," she said, smiling fondly at the little boy. " Is that so? " the man said politely to the little boy. " Twenty-six. " He nodded his head at the mother across the aisle. " Is that your mother? " The little boy leaned forward to look and then said, " Yes, that's her. " " What's your name? " the man asked. The little boy looked suspicious again. " Mr. Jesus, " he said. (Shirley Jackson, "The Witch." The Lottery and Other Stories . Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1949)

Direct Speech and Indirect Speech

"While direct speech purports to give a verbatim rendition of the words that were spoken, indirect speech is more variable in claiming to represent a faithful report of the content or content and form of the words that were spoken. It is important to note, however, that the question of whether and how faithful a given speech report actually is, is of a quite different order. Both direct and indirect speech are stylistic devices for conveying messages. The former is used as if the words being used were those of another, which are therefore pivoted to a deictic center different from the speech situation of the report. Indirect speech, in contrast, has its deictic center in the report situation and is variable with respect to the extent that faithfulness to the linguistic form of what was said is being claimed." (Florian Coulmas, "Reported Speech: Some General Issues." Direct and Indirect Speech , ed. by F. Coulmas. Walter de Gruyter, 1986)

Direct Speech as Drama

When a speaking event is reported via direct speech forms, it is possible to include many features that dramatize the way in which an utterance was produced. The quotative frame can also include verbs that indicate the speaker's manner of expression (e.g. cry, exclaim, gasp ), voice quality (e.g. mutter, scream, whisper ), and type of emotion (e.g. giggle, laugh, sob ). It can also include adverbs (e.g. angrily, brightly, cautiously, hoarsely, quickly, slowly ) and descriptions of the reported speaker's style and tone of voice, as illustrated in [5].

[5a] "I have some good news," she whispered in a mischievous way. [5b] "What is it?" he snapped immediately. [5c] "Can't you guess?" she giggled. [5d] "Oh, no! Don't tell me you're pregnant" he wailed, with a whining nasal sound in his voice.

The literary style of the examples in [5] is associated with an older tradition. In contemporary novels, there is often no indication, other than separate lines, of which character is speaking, as the direct speech forms are presented like a dramatic script, one after the other. (George Yule, Explaining English Grammar . Oxford University Press, 1998)

Like : Signaling Direct Speech in Conversation

An interesting new way of signaling direct speech has developed among younger English speakers and is spreading from the United States to Britain. This occurs entirely in spoken conversation, rather than in writing.

- . . . Though the construction is new [in 1994] and not yet standard, its meaning is very clear. It seems to be used more often to report thoughts rather than actual speech. (James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Student's Guide . Cambridge University Press, 1994)

Differences in Reported Speech

Even in the days of audio and video recording, there can be surprising differences in direct quotations attributed to the same source. A simple comparison of the same speech event covered in different newspapers can illustrate the problem. When his country was not invited to a meeting of the Commonwealth of Nations in 2003, the president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, said the following in a televised speech, according to The New York Times :

"If our sovereignty is what we have to lose to be re-admitted into the Commonwealth," Mr. Mugabe was quoted as saying on Friday, "we will say goodbye to the Commonwealth. And perhaps the time has now come to say so." (Wines 2003)

And the following according to an Associated Press story in the Philadelphia Inquirer .

"If our sovereignty is to be real, then we will say goodbye to the Commonwealth, [sic; second quotation mark missing] Mugabe said in remarks broadcast on state television. "Perhaps the time has come to say so." (Shaw 2003)

Did Mugabe produce both versions of these comments? If he gave only one, which published version is accurate? Do the versions have different sources? Are the differences in the exact wording significant or not? (Jeanne Fahnestock, Rhetorical Style: The Uses of Language in Persuasion . Oxford University Press, 2011)

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Direct Speech in English

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Direct speech is a crucial aspect of the English language that every speaker of the language must understand. In this reference, we will explore everything you need to know about direct speech, including its definition, examples, punctuation rules, and common mistakes.

What is Direct Speech?

Direct speech is a type of speech that involves the exact words spoken by a person or character. It is also known as quoted speech or speech marks. Direct speech is used to convey a message or conversation directly from the speaker to the listener.

For example, " I am going to the market, " said John. In this sentence, the exact words spoken by John are quoted, and the sentence is enclosed by speech marks.

How is Direct Speech Different from Indirect Speech?

Direct speech is different from indirect speech in that it directly quotes the exact words of the speaker.

Indirect speech involves paraphrasing or reporting the speaker's words. For example, " John said that he was going to the market. " In this sentence, the speaker's words are not quoted directly, but rather reported indirectly.

Examples of Direct Speech and How to Identify It in a Sentence

Direct speech can be identified in a sentence by the use of speech marks or quotation marks.

For example, " I am going to the market, " said John. In this sentence, the words spoken by John are enclosed by speech marks.

Other examples of direct speech include " I love you, " said Mary, and " Can you help me? " asked Mark.

Direct Speech Punctuation Rules

Direct speech follows specific punctuation rules that must be observed to convey the correct meaning of the sentence.

The first word of the direct speech sentence is capitalized, and the sentence is enclosed by speech marks. If the direct speech sentence ends with a full stop, exclamation mark, or question mark, the punctuation mark is placed inside the speech marks.

For example, " What is your name? " asked Tom. If the direct speech is followed by a reporting clause, the reporting clause is separated from the direct speech by a comma. For example, " I am going to the market, " said John.

Direct Speech in Different Tenses

Direct speech can be used in different tenses to convey different meanings.

• " I am going to the market, " said John ( present tense ).
• " I went to the market, " said John ( past tense ).
• " I will go to the market, " said John ( future tense ).

The tense used in direct speech depends on the tense of the original words spoken.

Direct Speech vs Reported Speech: Similarities and Differences

Direct speech and reported speech are similar in that they both convey a message or conversation. However, the main difference between them is that direct speech directly quotes the speaker's exact words, while reported speech paraphrases or reports the speaker's words.

• " I am going to the market, " said John (direct speech).
• " John said he was going to the market " (reported speech).

Common Mistakes

Let's take a look at what to avoid:

• Forgetting to enclose the words spoken by the speaker in speech marks. This mistake can make it difficult to identify direct speech in a sentence.
• Forgetting to capitalize the first word of the direct speech sentence. Both of these mistakes can be avoided by following the correct punctuation rules for direct speech.
• Remember to change the tense of the original words spoken, if necessary. For example, "I am going to the market," said John (direct speech). "John said he was going to the market" (reported speech). In this example, the verb tense has been changed from present tense to past tense when reporting John's words.

Direct speech helps us to directly quote the words spoken by a speaker. Use the correct punctuation rules for direct speech, and make sure that the first word of the direct speech sentence is capitalized. Soon, you'll effortlessly use it in your own English speech without even thinking.

Check out more references below if you want to learn more!

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DIRECT SPEECH | English writing lesson and exercises

In this tutorial learners are going to learn English writing lesson about direct speech.

Before we further proceed, watch the video here about DIRECT SPEECH | English writing lesson and exercises in English class.

So, if we want to write what is happening here, then this is how we write.

            He said “ Let’s go to the mall .”

Direct speech.

Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.

In this lesson you will learn:

The rules for writing direct speech.

The correct punctuation.

Vocabulary to report direct speech.

And finally, at the end of the lesson there are some exercises for practice.

Reporting clause before the direct speech

“He said” is before the direct speech, so the rules are;

If the reporting clause is before the direct speech:

            We write a comma (,) before the direct speech.

            We write the exact words inside the inverted commas .

            The first letter is a capital letter .

            We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas .

Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation:

            We write a question mark ( ? ) before the closing inverted commas .

                or an exclamation mark ( ! ) before the closing inverted commas .

Reporting clause after the direct speech

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:

The first letter is a capital letter .

We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas .

We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause .

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is after the question or exclamation .

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas .

We write a question mark ( ? ) before the closing inverted commas .

Advanced rule

Sometimes we break up the direct speech into 2 parts:

The second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it is the same sentence as the first part of the direct speech.

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.

Inverted commas

Speech marks

Quotation marks

Other reporting verbs

            Here are some other useful reporting verbs.

            They are often used for writing direct speech in books, newspapers and reports.

            It is more common to use them in reporting clauses after the direct speech.

            reply (replied)            ask (asked)                comment (commented)                  

agree (agreed)          shout (shouted)        admit (admitted)

Which of the following sentences are written correctly?

So, that’s the end of the lesson, I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, like and let me know your thoughts and questions, love to hear from you.

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Direct Speech Punctuation

When we report another person’s words, we can use direct speech or reported speech .

For direct speech , we use the exact words and we put quotation marks (” “) or inverted commas (‘ ‘) around them:

“I’m so tired,” said Sarah. ‘His singing was terrible,’ concluded Michelle.

According to “Improve Your Punctuation and Grammar” by Marion Field, the following rules are to be followed when setting out direct speech:

• When a person starts to speak, always begin a new paragraph.
• The paragraph begins at the beginning of the sentence in which the speech occurs.
• The first word of a person’s speech always starts with a capital letter.
• Alway put a punctuation mark before closing the inverted commas (or quotation marks). 
• A comma is usually used to separate the speech from words before or after it.
• Use a full stop if no words follow the speech.
• The punctuation mark always goes inside the inverted commas  (or quotation marks). 

Let’s look at a few examples:

“I will never leave , ” she said. She replied , “It is necessary . ” “Will you marry me ? ” he asked. “It won’t rain , will it ? ” I asked.

Pay attention to the punctuation marks in the sentences above. Remember that there must always be a punctuation mark before the inverted commas (‘ ‘) or punctuation marks (” “) are closed.

See how the punctuation changes if the sentence is broken in the middle:

“I see , ” Mary said , “that something bad is going on . ” “I see that something bad is going on , ” said Mary . “What shall we do ? ” (here two sentences have been interrupted by “said Mary”.

See how the punctuation reflects addressing someone :

‘Kimmy , have a look,” said Stephanie. “Have a look , Kimmy,” said Stephanie.

Basically, nothing changes. You just need to remember to use the comma before or after the name.

Look at how the direct speech punctuation rules work when there is a dialogue :

‘My teacher would like to see you on Monday,’ announced Tom. ‘Why?’ asked Mrs.Tenner. ‘You’ve been working so hard lately.’ ‘I was talking in class. I’m sorry!’ ‘What?’ ‘Sorry! It wasn’t my fault! I was trying to help Michael understand the rule.’ ‘It’s not your job, you know.’ Mrs.Tenner sat at the table and her son sat next to her.

Sometimes a quotation may be incorporated within the direct speech:

Mrs.Tenner asked, “Who said , “ I will never talk in class anymore “? “

Inverted commas or quotation marks are also needed for writing some titles :

‘I’m going to watch the film “ Autumn in New York “ ,’ announced Mike. “We are reading ‘War and Peace’, ‘Crime and Punishment’ and ‘Anna Karenina’,” Cathy told her father.

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Direct Speech Punctuation

With our Direct Speech Punctuation lesson plan, students learn how to properly use commas and quotation marks when including quotations and direct speech in their writing.

Included with this lesson are some adjustments or additions that you can make if you’d like, found in the “Options for Lesson” section of the Classroom Procedure page. One of the optional additions to this lesson is to show a video of a conversation between two people and have students record the direct speech, using the correct punctuation.

Description

Additional information, what our direct speech punctuation lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Direct Speech Punctuation teaches students how to properly use commas and quotation marks when writing direct speech or quotations. This lesson is for students in 4th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the green box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The only supplies needed for this lesson are the handouts, which you can copy ahead of time.

Options for Lesson

Included with this lesson is an “Options for Lesson” section that lists a number of suggestions for activities to add to the lesson or substitutions for the ones already in the lesson. One optional addition to this lesson is to show a video of a conversation between two people and have students record the direct speech, using the correct punctuation. You can also use a story that includes dialogue as an example of correctly written direct speech.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you’re preparing for this lesson.

DIRECT SPEECH PUNCTUATION LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Direct speech.

The Direct Speech Punctuation lesson plan includes three content pages. The lesson begins by reminding students that, when they speak to other people, the words they say are their own, and the sentences are created by their minds and belong to them. Likewise, when you read a comic book, the speech bubbles indicate the words of a specific character. These are both examples of direct speech.

Direct speech is different from indirect speech, which is when you relay the words of someone else, often not word-for-word. For example, if your mom says to tell your little brother it’s time for dinner, you could relay her words as indirect speech ( Mom told me to tell you we have to go eat ) or direct speech ( Mom said, “It is time for dinner” ). Direct speech means you are relaying the exact words said by another person. When you use indirect speech, there aren’t any special punctuation marks that you need to us.

However, we do have specific punctuation for direct speech, like commas and quotation marks. We use these when we show the direct speech of another person or of a character in a book. We also use them when quoting from a text, like a speech or an article.

Punctuating Direct Speech/Quotations

While students are familiar with commas and how to use them, they might not have a lot of practice using quotation marks in their writing. We use quotation marks for writing quotes. They look like pairs of upside-down commas. We place them before and after the quote. We also sometimes call them speech marks.

In the example sentence Tom said, “I have decided to stay home from school today.” we put a quotation mark before the first word that he said ( I ) and after the last word that he said ( today ) and the period. We also use a comma after the word said . It’s important to note that we put the second quotation mark after the period or other punctuation, not before.

The lesson includes several other examples that illustrate how to properly use commas and quotation marks for direct speech quotations. Students should review these examples to better understand where and how to use punctuation with quotations. One important rule they will learn is that you need a new paragraph for each speaker change. For example:

Oliver asked, “Where am I?”

Isla quietly answered, “You are at school. Wake up.”

It’s important to remember that we must punctuate the actual words being spoken with quotation marks, placed at the start and end of what’s being said. We can also use commas after the part of the sentence that tells you who is speaking. You can use words other than said  to indicate direct speech, like expressed, yelled, slowly said, silently answered , and more.

We also use quotation marks to mark quotations from a text. If you’re writing a report and want to include a sentence or fact from a book you read, you have to use quotation marks when using the exact wording from the book. The lesson includes an example of this.

Using proper punctuation for direct speech and quotations is very important, as it helps readers understand who is speaking and what they said.

DIRECT SPEECH PUNCTUATION LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Direct Speech Punctuation lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet.

RECORDING DIRECT SPEECH ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Students will work in groups to complete the activity worksheet. To begin, two students in the group will choose a topic and discuss it for two minutes, taking turns speaking. Meanwhile, the other two members will write down as much of their conversation as possible using the space provided on the worksheet, listening carefully. They will then switch places and repeat. After both pairs have discussed a topic and recorded a conversation, they will take the information they’ve written down and correctly write the direct speech on the worksheet without using the word said .

CORRECTING SENTENCES PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet asks students to complete three exercises. The first asks them to correctly add commas and quotation marks to ten sentences where needed. Next, the second asks them to write a direct speech sentence for each of the given situations. The lesson provides an example for them to work from. Finally, the third asks them to read a paragraph and correctly add quotation marks where needed. They must also answer one final question about the paragraph.

DIRECT SPEECH PUNCTUATION HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

For the homework assignment, students will complete three short exercises. For the first, they will correctly rewrite a paragraph, replacing the word said with a better word. Next, they will read another paragraph and will correctly add quotation marks where needed. Finally, they will think about a conversation they recently had and will correctly write some of it out on the lines provided.

Worksheet Answer Keys

This lesson plan includes answer keys for the practice worksheet and the homework assignment. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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26 Types of Punctuation Marks & Typographical Symbols

• What Is Punctuation?
• What Is A Typographical Symbol?
• Punctuation Vs. Typographical Symbols
• Types Of Punctuation And Symbols
• Try Grammar Coach

We use words in writing. Shocking, I know! Do you know what else we use in writing? Here is a hint: they have already appeared in this paragraph. In addition to words, we use many different symbols and characters to organize our thoughts and make text easier to read. All of these symbols come in two major categories: punctuation marks and typographical symbols . These symbols have many different uses and include everything from the humble period ( . ) to the rarely used caret symbol ( ^ ). There may even be a few symbols out there that you’ve never even heard of before that leave you scratching your head when you see them on your keyboard!

What is punctuation ?

Punctuation is the act or system of using specific marks or symbols in writing to separate different elements from each other or to make writing more clear. Punctuation is used in English and the other languages that use the Latin alphabet. Many other writing systems also use punctuation, too. Thanks to punctuation, we don’t have to suffer through a block of text that looks like this:

• My favorite color is red do you like red red is great my sister likes green she always says green is the color of champions regardless of which color is better we both agree that no one likes salmon which is a fish and not a color seriously

Punctuation examples

The following sentences give examples of the many different punctuation marks that we use:

• My dog , Bark Scruffalo , was featured in a superhero movie . 
• If there ’ s something strange in your neighborhood , who are you going to call ?
• A wise man once said , “ Within the body of every person lies a skeleton .”
• Hooray ! I found everything on the map : the lake , the mountain , and the forest . 
• I told Ashley ( if that was her real name ) that I needed the copy lickety-split .

What is a typographical symbol ?

The term typographical symbol , or any other number of phrases, refers to a character or symbol that isn’t considered to be a punctuation mark but may still be used in writing for various purposes. Typographical symbols are generally avoided in formal writing under most circumstances. However, you may see typographic symbols used quite a bit in informal writing.

Typographical symbol examples

The following examples show some ways that a writer might use typographical symbols. Keep in mind that some of these sentences may not be considered appropriate in formal writing.

• The frustrated actor said she was tired of her co-star’s “annoying bull **** .”
• For questions, email us at anascabana @ bananacabanas.fake!
• The band had five # 1 singles on the American music charts during the 1990s.
• My internet provider is AT & T.

⚡️ Punctuation vs. typographical symbols

Punctuation marks are considered part of grammar and often have well-established rules for how to use them properly. For example, the rules of proper grammar state that a letter after a period should be capitalized and that a comma must be used before a coordinating conjunction.

Typographical symbols, on the other hand, may not have widely accepted rules for how, or even when, they should be used. Generally speaking, most grammar resources will only allow the use of typographical symbols under very specific circumstances and will otherwise advise a writer to avoid using them.

Types of punctuation and symbols

There are many different types of punctuation marks and typographical symbols. We’ll briefly touch on them now, but you can learn more about these characters by checking out the links in this list and also each section below:

• Question mark
• Exclamation point
• Parentheses
• Square brackets
• Curly brackets
• Angle brackets
• Quotation marks
• Bullet point
• Pound symbol
• Caret symbol
• Pipe symbol

Period, question mark, and exclamation point

These three commonly used punctuation marks are used for the same reason: to end an independent thought.

A period is used to end a declarative sentence . A period indicates that a sentence is finished.

• Today is Friday .

Unique to them, periods are also often used in abbreviations.

• Prof . Dumbledore once again awarded a ludicrous amount of points to Gryffindor.

Question mark (?)

The question mark is used to end a question, also known as an interrogative sentence .

• Do you feel lucky ?

Exclamation point (!)

The exclamation point is used at the end of exclamations and interjections .

• Our house is haunted ! 

Comma, colon, and semicolon

Commas, colons, and semicolons can all be used to connect sentences together.

The comma is often the punctuation mark that gives writers the most problems. It has many different uses and often requires good knowledge of grammar to avoid making mistakes when using it. Some common uses of the comma include:

• Joining clauses: Mario loves Peach , and she loves him . 
• Nonrestrictive elements: My favorite team , the Fighting Mongooses , won the championship this year.
• Lists: The flag was red , white , and blue.
• Coordinate adjectives: The cute , happy puppy licked my hand.

Try out this quiz on the Oxford comma!

The colon is typically used to introduce additional information.

• The detective had three suspects : the salesman, the gardener, and the lawyer.

Like commas, colons can also connect clauses together.

• We forgot to ask the most important question : who was buying lunch?

Colons have a few other uses, too.

• The meeting starts at 8:15 p.m.
• The priest started reading from Mark 3:6 .

Semicolon (;)

Like the comma and the colon, the semicolon is used to connect sentences together. The semicolon typically indicates that the second sentence is closely related to the one before it.

• I can’t eat peanuts ; I am highly allergic to them.
• Lucy loves to eat all kinds of sweets ; lollipops are her favorite.

Hyphen and dashes (en dash and em dash)

All three of these punctuation marks are often referred to as “dashes.” However, they are all used for entirely different reasons.

The hyphen is used to form compound words.

• I went to lunch with my father-in-law .
• She was playing with a jack-in-the-box .
• He was accused of having pro-British sympathies.

En dash (–)

The en dash is used to express ranges or is sometimes used in more complex compound words.

• The homework exercises are on pages 20–27 .
• The songwriter had worked on many Tony Award–winning productions.

Em dash (—)

The em dash is used to indicate a pause or interrupted speech.

• The thief was someone nobody expected —me !
• “Those kids will— ” was all he managed to say before he was hit by a water balloon.

Test your knowledge on the different dashes here.

Parentheses, brackets, and braces

These pairs of punctuation marks look similar, but they all have different uses. In general, the parentheses are much more commonly used than the others.

Parentheses ()

Typically, parentheses are used to add additional information.

• I thought (for a very long time) if I should actually give an honest answer.
• Tomorrow is Christmas (my favorite holiday) !

Parentheses have a variety of other uses, too.

• Pollution increased significantly. (See Chart 14B)
• He was at an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.
• Richard I of England (1157–1199) had the heart of a lion.

Square brackets []

Typically, square brackets  are used to clarify or add information to quotations.

• According to an eyewitness, the chimpanzees “climbed on the roof and juggled [bananas] .”
• The judge said that “the defense attorney [Mr. Wright] had made it clear that the case was far from closed.”

Curly brackets {}

Curly brackets , also known as braces , are rarely used punctuation marks that are used to group a set.

• I was impressed by the many different colors {red, green, yellow, blue, purple, black, white} they selected for the flag’s design.

Angle brackets <>

Angle brackets have no usage in formal writing and are rarely ever used even in informal writing. These characters have more uses in other fields, such as math or computing.

Quotation marks and apostrophe

You’ll find these punctuation marks hanging out at the top of a line of text.

Quotation marks (“”)

The most common use of quotation marks is to contain quotations.

• She said, “ Don’t let the dog out of the house. ”
• Bob Ross liked to put “ happy little trees ” in many of his paintings.

Apostrophe (‘)

The apostrophe is most often used to form possessives and contractions.

• The house ’ s back door is open.
• My cousin ’ s birthday is next week.
• It isn ’ t ready yet.
• We should ’ ve stayed outside.

Slash and ellipses

These are two punctuation marks you may not see too often, but they are still useful.

The slash has several different uses. Here are some examples:

• Relationships: The existence of boxer briefs somehow hasn’t ended the boxers/briefs debate.
• Alternatives: They accept cash and/or credit.
• Fractions: After an hour, 2/3 of the audience had already left.

Ellipses (…)

In formal writing, ellipses are used to indicate that words were removed from a quote.

• The mayor said, “The damages will be … paid for by the city … as soon as possible.”

In informal writing, ellipses are often used to indicate pauses or speech that trails off.

• He nervously stammered and said, “Look, I … You see … I wasn’t … Forget it, okay.”

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Typographical symbols

Typographical symbols rarely appear in formal writing. You are much more likely to see them used for a variety of reasons in informal writing.

Asterisk (*)

In formal writing, especially academic and scientific writing, the asterisk is used to indicate a footnote.

• Chocolate is the preferred flavor of ice cream.* * According to survey data from the Ice Cream Data Center.

The asterisk may also be used to direct a reader toward a clarification or may be used to censor inappropriate words or phrases.

Ampersand (&)

The ampersand substitutes for the word and . Besides its use in the official names of things, the ampersand is typically avoided in formal writing.

•  The band gave a speech at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame .

Bullet Point (•)

Bullet points are used to create lists. For example,

For this recipe you will need:

• baking powder

Pound symbol (#)

Informally, the pound symbol is typically used to mean number or is used in social media hashtags.

• The catchy pop song reached #1 on the charts.
• Ready 4 Halloween 2morrow!!! #spooky #TrickorTreat

Besides being used as an accent mark in Spanish and Portuguese words, the tilde is rarely used. Informally, a person may use it to mean “about” or “approximately.”

• We visited São Paulo during our vacation.
• I think my dog weighs ~20 pounds.

Backslash (\)

The backslash is primarily used in computer programming and coding. It might be used online and in texting to draw emoticons , but it has no other common uses in writing. Be careful not to mix it up with the similar forward slash (/), which is a punctuation mark.

At symbol (@)

The at symbol substitutes for the word at in informal writing. In formal writing, it is used when writing email addresses.

• His email address is [email protected] .

Caret symbol (^)

The caret symbol is used in proofreading, but may be used to indicate an exponent if a writer is unable to use superscript .

• Do you know what 3 ^ 4 (3 to the power of 4) is equal to?

Pipe symbol (|)

The pipe symbol is not used in writing. Instead, it has a variety of functions in the fields of math, physics, or computing.

How much do you know about verbs? Learn about them here.

Ways To Say

Synonym of the day