The punctuation mark always needed when writing direct speech is quotation marks.
Direct speech refers to the exact words spoken by a person. Quotation marks are used to enclose these words, clearly distinguishing them from the rest of the text.
Here are some examples:
- "I'm going to the store," she said.
- "What time is it?" he asked.
- "This is my favorite book," she exclaimed.
Without quotation marks, it becomes unclear which words are being spoken directly, leading to confusion and misinterpretation.
