Inverted Commas: Year 6

Year 6 SATs SPaG worksheet on inverted commas: 20 questions in the style of the SATs, with answers. Free PDF.

3-page A4 PDF from the Tiger Shark Education question bank (Punctuation): two pages of questions (insert the punctuation) and an answer page. Example questions: Insert inverted commas around the words that are spoken. What a mess we have made! laughed Callum. / Insert inverted commas around the words that are spoken. Follow me! shouted Reena.

What are inverted commas? Inverted commas (speech marks) show the exact words someone says in direct speech: “Close the door,” said Mum. Only the spoken words go inside them. Inverted commas are not used for reported speech: Mum told us to close the door. A new line is started for each new speaker.

Common mistakes and tips: Children often put the reporting clause inside the inverted commas or use them for reported speech. Others forget to close them. Ask pupils to underline exactly what was said before adding any punctuation. Starting a new line for each speaker is an important convention in narrative writing.

Quick example to try: take a short dialogue from a class text, remove all the inverted commas, and ask pupils to put them back, underlining the spoken words first. Then rewrite one line as reported speech and discuss why it no longer needs inverted commas.

This topic is part of the Year 6 English grammar, punctuation and spelling curriculum and appears in the SATs. Because the test uses precise terminology, practising with the correct terms here helps children recognise what a question is asking.

How teachers use it: as a ten-minute daily grammar slot, as a homework task, or as part of a mixed revision pack in the run-up to the SATs. Pairs can work through it and compare answers before checking the answer page. Revisiting the same topic a few weeks later is an effective way to check retention.

Building understanding, not just recognition: the SATs ask children to identify features, but the real aim is for them to use grammar confidently in their own writing. After completing the sheet, ask pupils to find examples of the topic in a class text and discuss why the author used them. Then set a short writing task where the feature must be used deliberately, such as a paragraph of a story or a piece of non-fiction. Shared editing, where the class improves a weak sentence together, is a powerful way to show the effect of a grammatical choice. Linking grammar to purpose and effect helps children remember the terminology, because it becomes a tool rather than a label.