Direct speech: giraffe
The Grammar Bit!
Read the three sentences opposite. They all use direct speech to tell the reader exactly what was said by the speaker. Remember that inverted commas (or speech marks) are used to indicate this. (“…..”)
Notice how in each sentence we are given information about what the speaker was doing as he was speaking (bold). Including actions is a great way to bring characters to life. Furthermore, it will stop you from writing speech “ping pong” (where conversation goes back and forth without any narration in between).
For each sentence, with your talk partner, have a go at replacing the actions (bold) with your own ideas.
Scintillating Sentences
1) “Can we play the film back in slow motion?” asked the cameraman, who was still trembling with excitement.
2) “I think it’s dead,” whispered the cameraman, as he zoomed in on the fallen giant.
3) Having just entered the camouflaged hide, Martyn beckoned the others in and said excitedly, “Quick – a rival male is approaching!”
When a giraffe makes a mistake, it rarely apologises. This is because it takes a long time to swallow its pride!