English Toolkit

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15.3Direct speech
TYPICAL ERROR Chelsea enquired ‘How many people will be there?’
‘There should be 10 of us’ replied Dylan.
CORRECTION Chelsea enquired, ‘How many people will be there?’
‘There should be 10 of us,’ replied Dylan.

EXPLANATION If we wish to record exactly what someone has said, we indicate that we are quoting them by using inverted commas. We also use a comma to separate the actual words spoken from the rest of the sentence.

Add an extra comma to each of these sentences.
a
‘That is the secret of their success’ observed Georgia.

b
‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind’ declared Neil Armstrong.

c
Raising his fist, Muhammad Ali declared ‘I am the greatest.’

d
‘If you keep improving at this rate, Alex,’ commented the coach ‘you might even end up at the Olympics.’

e
Referring to Martin Luther King, Coleman stated ‘We may not have been able to save the dreamer but we still have the dream.’

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