Direct Speech: Adélie penguin
The Grammar Bit!
Read the conversation between Arwel and Amos in the scintillating sentences section opposite. The passage uses direct speech to show the actual spoken words by the two characters.
With your talk partner, investigate the passage to see if the following rules have been followed.
Direct Speech Rules
- The spoken words are enclosed by inverted commas (or speech marks).
- A reporting clause can be used at the beginning or end of the spoken words. e.g. (end) groaned Arwel.
- A comma, question mark or exclamation mark is placed inside the closing inverted comma.
- A capital letter is used at the beginning of the spoken words (unless it is part of a sentence that has been interrupted by a reporting clause).
- A new line should be started when there is a change of speaker.
Scintillating Sentences
On a rocky beach, somewhere in Antarctica, two penguin friends were building their nests.
“How’s yours coming along?” asked Amos, dropping a small rock onto his ever-growing pile.
“Not very well,” groaned Arwel. “I must’ve collected 30 stones or more and my nest hasn’t got any bigger.” The exhausted Adélie sat next to his puny pile with a dejected look on his face. Tears started to well up in his eyes and were soon trickling past his white eye rings.
Did you know?
An Adélie penguin can dive to a depth of 175 metres. It can stay under water for up to 3 minutes!