Interpret quotation punctuation

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
• Worked case: Subject bird; use run. Blank: ___ sings, referent Ana, singular she. Verb: jumped. Speech: "Come here," Ana said.
• Primary check: Subject birds; use run. Blank: I saw ___, referent Ana, singular she. Verb: jumps. Speech: ANA: Come here.

Learn the idea

Prose dialogue uses quotation marks around exact speech, usually with a speaker tag. Scripts can instead use a speaker label. Two independent sentences need more than a comma alone.

Identify the displayed form. Separate speech, tag and independent clauses before naming the convention.

Example to read or listen to: Subject bird; use run. Blank: ___ sings, referent Ana, singular she. Verb: jumped. Speech: "Come here," Ana said. The answer is quotation marks enclose spoken words. The relevant input states: Speech: "Come here," Ana said. This fits quotation marks enclose spoken words. Prose dialogue uses quotation marks around exact speech, usually with a speaker tag. Scripts can instead use a speaker label. Two independent sentences need more than a comma alone. A comma splice is not a dialogue tag.

1. Read or listen to the worked example. Say what the reading or writing task asks you to find. An adult can help with unfamiliar words.
2. Identify the displayed form. Separate speech, tag and independent clauses before naming the convention.
3. Check the worked solution: quotation marks enclose spoken words. The relevant input states: Speech: "Come here," Ana said. This fits quotation marks enclose spoken words. Prose dialogue uses quotation marks around exact speech, usually with a speaker tag. Scripts can instead use a speaker label. Two independent sentences need more than a comma alone. A comma splice is not a dialogue tag.
4. Try the question and the practice questions. Point to the words that helped you choose before checking the feedback.

Check your reasoning

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Take it further

Optional extra practice: Correct: The birds runs. Expected: The birds run. Add They are flying to show ongoing action. Write one prose dialogue line: "Look up," Jo said. Then turn it into a speaker-labeled script line without pretending the punctuation forms are identical. Practice this lesson’s skill as you complete the task. Use this idea to check your work: Prose dialogue uses quotation marks around exact speech, usually with a speaker tag. Scripts can instead use a speaker label. Two independent sentences need more than a comma alone.

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