Year 3 English: The reporting clause: before, after or in the middle
Part of the Year 3 English punctuation chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The reporting clause: before, after or in the middle
The reporting clause can go after the spoken words, before them, or in the middle of them. Each place needs different punctuation.
| Position | Example | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| after | "Be quiet," said Mum. | comma inside the closing inverted commas |
| before | Mum said, "Be quiet." | comma after the reporting clause; full stop inside the marks |
| middle | "Hurry," said Sam, "or we will be late." | the second part goes on from the first, so it starts with a small letter |
| after a question or exclamation | "Is it time?" asked Ruby. | the question mark replaces the comma |
If the first part of the speech ends with a question mark or exclamation mark, that mark replaces the comma. It does not need a comma as well.
Key ideas
- The reporting clause can come before, after or in the middle of the spoken words.
- A comma, question mark or exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted commas.
- After a reporting clause at the front, put a comma before the opening inverted commas.
- If the speech is split, the second part starts with a small letter when the same sentence goes on.
Method. Split the spoken words at the reporting clause, then punctuate each part.
- Find the two parts of the speech. The reporting clause sits between the two parts of the spoken words.Hurry | or we will be late
- Put inverted commas round the first part. The first part ends with a comma inside its closing inverted commas."Hurry,"
- Find the reporting clause. It tells who spoke. It sits outside the inverted commas.said Sam
- Put inverted commas round the second part. The second part starts with a small letter, because the same sentence goes on."or we will be late."
- Write the answer. "Hurry," said Sam, "or we will be late."
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. Check the end mark of the first part, which goes inside its closing inverted commas, and the capital letter of the second part.
Method. Put the spoken words in inverted commas, then the reporting clause after them.
- Find the spoken words. These are the words that are said. They go inside the inverted commas."Where are you"
- Put the end mark inside the closing inverted commas. The question mark belongs to the spoken words, so it goes before the closing inverted commas."Where are you?"
- Find the reporting clause. It tells us who spoke. It sits outside the inverted commas.asked Ben
- Finish with a full stop. The whole sentence is a statement, so it ends with a full stop after the reporting clause."Where are you?" asked Ben.
- Write the answer. "Where are you?" asked Ben.
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. The comma, question mark or exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted commas, not after them.
Method. Write the reporting clause, a comma, then the spoken words in inverted commas.
- Find the reporting clause. It tells us who speaks, and it comes first.Mum called
- Put a comma after the reporting clause. A comma separates the reporting clause from the spoken words.Mum called,
- Put inverted commas round the spoken words. The opening inverted commas come before the first spoken word."Dinner is ready!"
- Keep the end mark inside. The exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted commas, so no full stop comes after them.Mum called, "Dinner is ready!"
- Write the answer. Mum called, "Dinner is ready!"
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. Do not add a full stop after the closing inverted commas when the end mark is already inside them.
Watch out
Watch out: with a question mark or exclamation mark, do not add a comma as well. "Where are you?" asked Ben. has no comma after the question mark.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Say the sentence aloud, pausing after the reporting clause. Ask your child which mark sits inside the closing inverted commas, and whether the first part is a question, an exclamation or a statement.
Exercise 5B Practice: where the reporting clause goes
Method. Put the spoken words in inverted commas, then the reporting clause after them.
- Find the spoken words. These are the words that are said. They go inside the inverted commas."I can help"
- Put the end mark inside the closing inverted commas. The comma belongs to the spoken words, so it goes before the closing inverted commas."I can help,"
- Find the reporting clause. It tells us who spoke. It sits outside the inverted commas.said Priya
- Finish with a full stop. The whole sentence is a statement, so it ends with a full stop after the reporting clause."I can help," said Priya.
- Write the answer. "I can help," said Priya.
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. The comma, question mark or exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted commas, not after them.
Method. Write the reporting clause, a comma, then the spoken words in inverted commas.
- Find the reporting clause. It tells us who speaks, and it comes first.Ben asks
- Put a comma after the reporting clause. A comma separates the reporting clause from the spoken words.Ben asks,
- Put inverted commas round the spoken words. The opening inverted commas come before the first spoken word."Are you coming?"
- Keep the end mark inside. The question mark goes inside the closing inverted commas, so no full stop comes after them.Ben asks, "Are you coming?"
- Write the answer. Ben asks, "Are you coming?"
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. Do not add a full stop after the closing inverted commas when the end mark is already inside them.
Method. Put the spoken words in inverted commas, then the reporting clause after them.
- Find the spoken words. These are the words that are said. They go inside the inverted commas."Stop"
- Put the end mark inside the closing inverted commas. The exclamation mark belongs to the spoken words, so it goes before the closing inverted commas."Stop!"
- Find the reporting clause. It tells us who spoke. It sits outside the inverted commas.shouted Sam
- Finish with a full stop. The whole sentence is a statement, so it ends with a full stop after the reporting clause."Stop!" shouted Sam.
- Write the answer. "Stop!" shouted Sam.
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. The comma, question mark or exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted commas, not after them.
Method. The comma goes inside the closing inverted commas.
- Find the end of the spoken words. The spoken words are followed by the reporting clause."We can go now"
- Add the comma inside the marks. The comma goes before the closing inverted commas."We can go now,"
- Write the answer. "We can go now," said Mum.
Check. Read it aloud with a pause after now. ✓
Watch out. The comma goes inside the closing inverted commas, not after them.
Method. Split the spoken words at the reporting clause, then punctuate each part.
- Find the two parts of the speech. The reporting clause sits between the two parts of the spoken words.Wait for me | and then we can go
- Put inverted commas round the first part. The first part ends with a comma inside its closing inverted commas."Wait for me,"
- Find the reporting clause. It tells who spoke. It sits outside the inverted commas.called Ali
- Put inverted commas round the second part. The second part starts with a small letter, because the same sentence goes on."and then we can go."
- Write the answer. "Wait for me," called Ali, "and then we can go."
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. Check the end mark of the first part, which goes inside its closing inverted commas, and the capital letter of the second part.
Method. Split the spoken words at the reporting clause, then punctuate each part.
- Find the two parts of the speech. The reporting clause sits between the two parts of the spoken words.Are you ready | We must leave now
- Put inverted commas round the first part. The first part ends with a question mark inside its closing inverted commas."Are you ready?"
- Find the reporting clause. It tells who spoke. It sits outside the inverted commas.asked Dad
- Put inverted commas round the second part. The second part starts with a capital letter, because it is a new sentence."We must leave now."
- Write the answer. "Are you ready?" asked Dad, "We must leave now."
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. Check the end mark of the first part, which goes inside its closing inverted commas, and the capital letter of the second part.
Method. Write the reporting clause, a comma, then the spoken words in inverted commas.
- Find the reporting clause. It tells us who speaks, and it comes first.Mum calls
- Put a comma after the reporting clause. A comma separates the reporting clause from the spoken words.Mum calls,
- Put inverted commas round the spoken words. The opening inverted commas come before the first spoken word."Tea is ready."
- Keep the end mark inside. The full stop goes inside the closing inverted commas, so no full stop comes after them.Mum calls, "Tea is ready."
- Write the answer. Mum calls, "Tea is ready."
Check. Read it aloud: only the spoken words are inside the inverted commas. ✓
Watch out. Do not add a full stop after the closing inverted commas when the end mark is already inside them.
Method. Look at the words before the spoken words.
- Find the reporting clause. Dad says comes before the spoken words.Dad says
- Add the comma. A comma separates the reporting clause from the spoken words.Dad says, "Tea is ready."
- Write the answer. No. A comma goes after the reporting clause: Dad says, "Tea is ready."
Check. Read it aloud with a pause after says. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: No, it needs a comma after says.
Method. Check what the spoken words do.
- Look at the spoken words. Where are you asks a question, so it needs a question mark.Where are you?
- Check the mark after the speech. The question mark replaces the full stop, and no comma follows it."Where are you?" asked Ben.
- Write the answer. No. The speech asks a question, so it ends with a question mark, and no comma comes after it: "Where are you?" asked Ben.
Check. Read it aloud with a question in your voice. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: No, a question mark is needed, not a full stop.
Method. Look at the mark before the closing inverted commas.
- Find the mark. The question mark ends the spoken words.?
- Decide whether a comma is needed. One mark is enough at the end of the speech, so the comma is left out.no comma
- Write the answer. The question mark already ends the spoken words, so a comma is not needed.
Check. One end mark is enough. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: a question mark already does the job of a comma here.