Inverted commas make it clear when someone is speaking by sitting high up above the speech. Making sure they stay either side of what's being said, they open at the start and close at the end of the speech. Even though they show what words are spoken, you still need punctuation.
You can be puzzled with a question mark, or grind things to a halt with a full stop. But whenever you have something to say, I think the inverted commas speak for themselves.
Speech marks
When you are writing, inverted commas or speech marks go before and after direct speech, surrounding what was said.
"I'm hungry," she complained.
If another character replies, use another set of inverted commas.
"What's for tea?" she asked. "Delicious ants!" her mum replied.
Punctuation, such as question marks, full stops and exclamation marks go inside the speech marks.
