In fiction writing, it is really important for readers to understand which character is saying what. In order to make this clear, writers use direct speech: Direct speech is any word spoken by a ...

Reporting other people’s speeches or writings is a technical exercise in which punctuation marks play strategic roles. Whether it is in direct speech or the indirect, punctuation marks such as the ...

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.