Years 3 and 4 direct speech, commas and apostrophes

Direct speech, commas and apostrophes, explained

A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the front of a sentence that tells the reader when, where or how something happened: “Later that day,”, “Behind the shed,”, “With a shout,”. Children are taught to put a comma after it. The comma separates the opening from the main part of the sentence, and tells the reader to pause. Published writers sometimes leave out the comma after a very short opening, but the curriculum asks children to use a comma after fronted adverbials, so teachers usually expect it every time while the habit is built.

The possessive apostrophe with plural nouns follows two steps. First, write the owners. Then, if the plural ends in s, add an apostrophe after the s (the girls’ coats); if it does not end in s, add an apostrophe and s as for one owner (the children’s coats). Children who understand the pattern can place the apostrophe in any phrase, including ones they have never seen, because they are thinking about who owns something and how many owners there are.

Direct speech is the exact words a character says, set inside inverted commas, which some schools call speech marks. Children are taught that inverted commas go around the spoken words only, not around the words that tell us who said them. The spoken words start with a capital letter, and punctuation goes inside the closing inverted commas. When the speech comes first and is followed by words such as “said Mum”, the speech ends with a comma, a question mark or an exclamation mark, not a full stop, and the words after it begin with a small letter unless they are a name. When the words saying who spoke come first, a comma comes before the opening inverted commas.

Each time a different person speaks, the writer starts a new line. This is a paragraphing rule as much as a punctuation rule, and it helps readers follow a conversation without a label on every line. Children practise by writing conversations for characters they have invented, and by converting reported speech (“Dad asked if we had seen his boots”) into direct speech (“Have you seen my boots?” asked Dad).

The curriculum also asks children to use and understand the grammar terms for Years 3 and 4 accurately when they discuss their writing and reading. That is why you may hear your child talk about fronted adverbials, subordinate clauses or inverted commas. In dialogue, children start to learn that some of the ways people speak, such as “We was going”, differ from Standard English. A writer may choose to put such forms in a character’s mouth, while the narration around the dialogue usually stays in Standard English.

Words your child will hear

Direct speech

The exact words someone says, written inside inverted commas.

Inverted commas

The marks around spoken words, also called speech marks.

Reporting clause

The words that say who spoke, such as “said Mum” or “asked Dad”.

Fronted adverbial

A word or phrase at the start of a sentence that says when, where or how.

Possessive apostrophe

An apostrophe that shows belonging, as in the children’s coats.

Standard English

The form of English with agreed grammar and vocabulary, used in formal writing and speech. It can be spoken in any accent.

Grammatical terminology

The words used to talk about grammar, such as noun, clause and preposition.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to:

• Indicate grammatical and other features by using commas after fronted adverbials
• Indicate grammatical and other features by indicating possession by using the possessive apostrophe with plural nouns
• Indicate grammatical and other features by using and punctuating direct speech
• Use and understand the grammatical terminology in English appendix 2 accurately and appropriately when discussing their writing and reading

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example

Common mistakes and how to help

How to help at home

• Comic strips into speech. Take a comic strip or a picture with speech bubbles, and ask your child to rewrite the speech as sentences with inverted commas. Remind them to start a new line each time the speaker changes.
• Read the voices. Choose a page of dialogue from a favourite story and read it aloud, one of you taking each speaker. Spot where the inverted commas and commas are, and where the reading voice pauses.
• Start with a time or a place. Take turns making up sentences that begin with when or where: “At the end of the road,”, “Just before bedtime,”. Write two or three down and check the comma.
• Who owns it? Plural edition. Look around the home for things that belong to groups: the neighbours’ cars, the twins’ bikes, the children’s books. Ask your child to write each phrase and to explain where the apostrophe goes and why.
• Talk about how people speak. Notice how characters in a book or on screen speak differently from narration, and how that tells you about them. Ask your child how the same sentence would look in formal writing.

Related topics

Everything in Years 3 and 4 English