DIRECT SPEECH | English writing lesson and exercises

Summary

In this Crown Academy of English lesson, Andrew teaches direct speech writing rules and punctuation. He explains the use of reporting clauses, inverted commas, and capitalization in direct speech. Special rules for questions and exclamations are covered, along with advanced rules for interrupted direct speech. Andrew also introduces alternative reporting verbs and provides exercises to test understanding.

Takeaways

• 📝 Direct speech involves reporting the exact words someone says.
• 🗣️ The reporting clause usually comes before the direct speech, followed by a comma.
• 🔤 Direct speech is enclosed in inverted commas, with the first letter capitalized.
• ❗ When the reporting clause precedes a question or exclamation, use a question mark or exclamation mark before the closing inverted commas.
• ✍️ If the reporting clause follows the direct speech, a comma is placed before the closing inverted commas, not a full stop.
• 🔄 When the reporting clause is in the middle of direct speech, the second part starts with a small letter if it's the same sentence, or a capital letter if it's a new sentence.
• 📚 Other terms for inverted commas include speech marks, quotation marks, and quotes.
• 📖 Common reporting verbs for direct speech include 'replied', 'asked', 'commented', 'agreed', 'shouted', 'admitted'.
• 📝 Exercises at the end of the lesson help reinforce understanding of direct speech rules.
• 👨‍🏫 Andrew from Crown Academy of English presents the lesson, providing clear examples and explanations.

Q & A

What is the main subject of the grammar lesson in the transcript?

The main subject of the grammar lesson is direct speech.

What is direct speech?

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

What is the rule for punctuation when the reporting clause is before the direct speech?

If the reporting clause is before the direct speech, a comma is written before the direct speech, and a full stop is written before the closing inverted commas.

How do you punctuate direct speech when it is a question?

For direct speech that is a question, a question mark is written before the closing inverted commas instead of a full stop.

What changes in punctuation when the reporting clause is after the direct speech?

When the reporting clause is after the direct speech, a comma is written before the closing inverted commas, and a full stop is written at the end of the reporting clause.

What is the special rule for reporting clauses that come after a question or exclamation in direct speech?

When the reporting clause is after a question or exclamation, a question mark or exclamation mark is written before the closing inverted commas instead of a comma.

What is an advanced rule for writing direct speech when it is broken into two parts?

If the direct speech is broken into two parts with the reporting clause in the middle, the second part starts with a small letter if it continues the same sentence, or a capital letter if it starts a new sentence.

What are some alternative names for inverted commas?

Inverted commas are also called speech marks, quotation marks, or simply quotes.

What are some reporting verbs used for writing direct speech after the direct speech?

Some reporting verbs used after direct speech include replied, asked, commented, agreed, shouted, admitted.

How does the lesson use exercises to reinforce learning?

The lesson uses exercises to identify correctly written sentences involving direct speech, focusing on correct punctuation and structure.

What is the significance of the reporting clause's position relative to the direct speech in terms of punctuation?

The position of the reporting clause relative to the direct speech determines whether a comma or a full stop is used before the closing inverted commas, and where the full stop is placed.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Direct Speech

Andrew introduces a grammar and writing lesson on direct speech at Crown Academy of English. Direct speech is defined as reporting the exact words someone says. The lesson aims to teach the rules for writing direct speech, correct punctuation, and vocabulary. Andrew provides an example of direct speech, 'Let's go to the cinema,' and explains that it should be enclosed in inverted commas with a capital letter at the beginning and a full stop before the closing inverted commas. Special rules for questions and exclamations are also mentioned.

05:01

🗣️ Direct Speech with Reporting Clauses

This section discusses the placement of reporting clauses in relation to direct speech. When the reporting clause precedes the direct speech, a comma is used before the speech is enclosed in inverted commas. For questions and exclamations, a question mark or exclamation mark replaces the full stop before the closing inverted commas. Conversely, when the reporting clause follows the direct speech, a comma is placed before the closing inverted commas, and a full stop ends the reporting clause. Exceptions to these rules are highlighted, such as when the reporting clause is in the middle of the direct speech.

10:01

📚 Advanced Rules and Vocabulary

Andrew elaborates on advanced rules for direct speech, such as interrupting the direct speech with a reporting clause and then continuing with the rest of the speech. The lesson specifies that the second part of the speech should start with a small letter if it's the same sentence or a capital letter if it's a new sentence. Vocabulary for inverted commas, reporting verbs, and their usage in various contexts like books, newspapers, and reports is also covered. Examples of different reporting verbs like 'replied,' 'asked,' 'commented,' 'agreed,' 'shouted,' and 'admitted' are provided.

15:01

📖 Exercises and Lesson Conclusion

The lesson concludes with exercises to test understanding of direct speech rules. Four example sentences are provided, and learners must identify which are written correctly. The correct answers are explained, focusing on the use of commas, full stops, and question marks. Andrew invites viewers to subscribe and watch more videos on the channel, thanking them for their time and promising to see them soon.

Keywords

💡Direct Speech

Direct speech refers to the exact words that someone says, quoted directly in a sentence. In the video, Andrew explains that direct speech is used to report the precise wording of a speaker. For instance, when Andrew says 'let's go to the cinema,' it is an example of direct speech, and in written form, it is represented as 'He said, "Let's go to the cinema."'

💡Reporting Clause

A reporting clause is a group of words that tells us who is speaking and what they are saying. In the script, Andrew uses 'he said' as an example of a reporting clause. It is used to introduce direct speech and is positioned before or after the direct speech. For example, 'He said, "Let's go to the cinema,"' where 'he said' is the reporting clause.

💡Inverted Commas

Inverted commas, also known as quotation marks or quotes, are punctuation marks used to indicate direct speech. Andrew mentions that these are the 'little lines above the words' in the script. They are used to enclose the exact words of the speaker, as in 'He said, "Let's go to the cinema."'

💡Punctuation

Punctuation in this context refers to the use of commas, full stops, and question marks when writing direct speech. Andrew explains that a comma is used before direct speech if the reporting clause comes first, and a full stop or appropriate punctuation mark is used to end the sentence. For example, 'He said, "Let's go to the cinema,"' uses a comma before the inverted commas and a full stop at the end.

💡Capital Letter

A capital letter is used at the beginning of direct speech to indicate the start of a new sentence or quote. Andrew points out that after the reporting clause and before the inverted commas, the first letter of the direct speech should be capitalized, as in 'He said, "Let's go to the cinema."'

💡Question Mark

A question mark is used to indicate a question within direct speech. Andrew explains that if the direct speech is a question, a question mark is placed before the closing inverted commas. For example, 'He asked, "Do you want to go to the cinema?"'

💡Exclamation

An exclamation is used to express strong feelings or to shout. In the script, Andrew uses 'He shouted, "Hurry up!"' as an example of exclamation in direct speech. The reporting clause comes before the exclamation, and an exclamation mark is placed before the closing inverted commas.

💡Advanced Rule

An advanced rule mentioned in the video is when the reporting clause is in the middle of the direct speech, splitting it into two parts. Andrew gives an example: 'If you want to go to the cinema,' she said, 'then call me.' Here, the second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it continues the same sentence, or a capital letter if it starts a new sentence.

💡Reporting Verbs

Reporting verbs are used to introduce direct speech, such as 'said', 'asked', 'shouted', etc. Andrew lists various reporting verbs like 'replied', 'commented', 'agreed', 'shouted', 'admitted' which are used to report speech in a more varied way. For example, 'She commented, "I really don't like her dress."'

💡Exercise

An exercise in the context of the video is a practice session where learners apply what they've learned. Andrew provides exercises at the end of the lesson to test the viewers' understanding of writing direct speech correctly. For example, one exercise asks to identify the correctly written sentence among options.

Highlights

Introduction to direct speech in grammar and writing lessons.

Direct speech is reporting the exact words someone says.

Example of direct speech: 'Let's go to the cinema'.

Rules for writing direct speech include correct punctuation and vocabulary.

Reporting clause before direct speech requires a comma before the speech.

Direct speech must be enclosed in inverted commas with a capital first letter.

A full stop is placed before the closing inverted commas in direct speech.

Special rule for reporting clause before a question or exclamation.

Use of question mark or exclamation mark before closing inverted commas in questions or exclamations.

Reporting clause after direct speech uses a comma before closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation uses a question mark or exclamation mark before closing inverted commas.

Advanced rule for breaking up direct speech into two parts.

Second part of broken direct speech starts with a small letter if it's the same sentence.

Second part starts with a capital letter if it's a new sentence.

Inverted commas are also known as speech marks, quotation marks, or quotes.

Reporting verbs such as 'replied', 'asked', 'commented', 'agreed', 'shouted', 'admitted' are used after direct speech.

Exercises to test understanding of correctly written direct speech sentences.

Correct usage of commas and question marks in reported speech exercises.

Summary of the lesson and invitation to subscribe for more lessons.

Andrew from Crown Academy of English signs off and says goodbye.

Transcripts

hello everyone this is Andrew at Crown

Academy of English today we are doing a

grammar lesson a writing lesson and the

subject is direct speech so let's start

let's go to the cinema so if we want to

write what is happening here then this

is how we write it he said let's go to

the cinema and this is an example of

direct speech direct speech is when we

report the exact words that somebody

says so here the exact words are let's

go to the cinema so this is direct

speech in this lesson you will learn the

rules for writing direct speech also the

correct punctuation and also some

vocabulary to report direct speech and

finally at the end of the lesson there

are some exercises ok so let's start

first of all reporting clause before the

direct speech example he said let's go

to the cinema ok so here in blue this is

the reporting clause ok so this is the

verb where we are describing where we

are reporting the direct speech ok so he

said and

as you can see in this example it is

before the direct speech he said is

before the direct speech so the rules

are if the reporting clause is before

the direct speech then the first rule we

write a comma before the direct speech

this is the comma so we must write this

comma and then we write the exact words

inside the inverted commas so these are

the inverted commas these little lines

above the words okay so this is the

opening these are the opening inverted

commas these are the closing inverted

commas and we write the exact words

inside the inverted commas and also the

first letter of the direct speech is a

capital letter so is a big letter here

so the L here is a capital letter and

finally we write a full stop before the

closing inverted commas here so we write

a full stop at the end of the direct

speech and before the closing inverted

commas okay so a full stop is a dot on

the bottom on the line of the text full

stop is British English in American

English they call it a period okay but

it's the same thing

okay now there is a special rule for a

reporting clause before a question or an

exclamation so again we have this time

he asked do you want to go to the cinema

so this is a question and here is an

exclamation he shouted hurry up

so an exclamation is when we say

something when we are excited or when we

are shouting again if the reporting

clause is before the question or

exclamation which it is here this is the

reporting clause before question and

here is a reporting clause before an

exclamation so the rules well the first

rules are the same

okay nothing changes here we write a

comma before the direct speech here and

here again we write the exact words

inside the inverted commas inverted

commas are here and here these are the

exact words

and the first letter again is a capital

letter capital D capital H but what

changes is for the question we write a

question mark before the close the

closing inverted commas okay here the

question mark so we don't write a full

stop we write a question mark or an

exclamation mark before the closing

inverted commas here so it is not a full

stop we write an exclamation mark okay

reporting clause after the direct speech

let's go to the cinema he said so if the

reporting clause is after the direct

speech like here he said is now after

the direct speech then the rules are

again we write the exact words inside

the inverted commas okay that's the same

again the first letter is a capital

letter capital letter L but this is

different this time we write a comma

before the closing inverted commas okay

here this is a comma it is not a full

stop that is important okay although it

is the end of the speech we write a

comma

and we write a full stop at the end of

the reporting clause so the full stop is

here okay so it's a slightly difference

when the reporting clause is after the

direct speech the different reporting

clause after a question or exclamation

do you want to go to the cinema

he asked hurry up he shouted if the

reporting clause is after a question or

exclamation like it is here the

reporting clause he asked is after a

question and here the reporting clause

is after the exclamation the rules are

we write the exact words inside the

inverted commas okay the first letter is

a capital letter a capital D and a

capital H and this time we write a

question mark before the closing

inverted commas here so we do not write

a comma we write a question mark

or an exclamation mark before the

closing inverted commas here so again we

do not write a comma because it is an

exclamation so we write an exclamation

mark so these are exceptions these are

the only times when we do not write a

comma when it is a reporting clause

after the direct speech okay

and finally we write the full stop at

the end of the reporting clause advanced

rule there is an advanced rule sometimes

we want to break up the direct speech

into two parts example if you want to go

to the cinema she said then call me so

we have two parts of the direct speech

here and here and in the middle is the

reporting clause so here we have put the

reporting clause in the middle of the

direct speech and there is a special

rule for this 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 small letter

okay so here we do not write a capital

letter because then call me is the same

sentence as the first part okay because

the complete sentence is

if you want to go to the cinema then

call me this is the same sentence so we

write a small letter here okay and as

before don't forget there is a comma

here and there is a comma here okay at

the end of the reporting clause and a

full stop here so this is an exception

but another example I'm tired

she said let's stay at home here is the

reporting clause in the middle but this

time the second part of the direct

speech starts with a capital letter if

it is a new sentence so capital letter L

and it is because I'm tired is a

complete sentence and let's stay at home

is a new sentence okay so we start with

a capital letter

but the commas stay because I don't

forget to write the comma here and the

comma here okay that is still the same

so although I'm tired is a complete

sentence we still write the comma okay

that's important so this is an advanced

rule vocabulary so what are these well

we have already seen that they are

called inverted commas they are inverted

commas but there are some other words

for them they are also called speech

marks or quotation marks or simply

quotes quotes okay so there are four

different ways of naming them I prefer

inverted commas but you know you can

choose you can choose which one you want

to call them there are some other

reporting verbs which are useful so 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 okay after the direct speech so

we have the verb reply and this is the

past simple form replied asked asked

comment commented agree agreed shout

shouted admit admitted and there are

others that these are very common ones

so for an example I really don't like

her dress she commented I don't love you

anymore

he admitted okay so here we have used

some different reporting verbs to write

direct speech and we have put the

reporting clauses after the direct

speech okay

exercise which of the following

sentences are written correctly example

Marc said I don't want to go to school

today

so here are two sentences only one

sentence is correct which sentence is

correct and the answer is the second

sentence is correct because there needs

to be a comma here

question one I have never been to New

York she said so which sentence is

correct

the answer is the second sentence is

correct question two he said we had a

fantastic holiday last year so which

sentence is correct

the answer is the first sentence is

correct

question 3 yes they played very well

mark replied so which sentence is

correct the answer is the second

sentence is correct and question 4 this

is the last question have you ever been

to New York she asked so on question

four there are three sentences and only

one sentence is correct so which of

these three sentences is correct the

answer is the second sentence because

there must be a question mark before the

closing inverted commas okay so that is

the end of the lesson I hope you enjoyed

it if you want to subscribe you can

click here on the screen and here are

some other videos which you might be

interested in watching so to start the

video simply click on the screen okay my

name is Andrew at Crown Academy of

English thanks for watching and I will

see you very soon bye bye