Indirect Speech Definition and Examples

Indirect Speech Definition and Examples Indirect speech  is a report on what someone else said or wrote without using that persons exact words (which is called direct speech). Its also called  indirect discourse or reported speech.   Direct vs. Indirect Speech In direct speech, a persons exact words are placed in quotation marks and set off with a comma and a reporting clause or signal phrase,  such as said or asked. In fiction writing, using direct speech  can display  the emotion of an important scene in vivid detail through the words themselves as well as the description of how something was said. In nonfiction writing or journalism, direct speech  can emphasize a particular point, by using a sources exact words. Indirect speech is paraphrasing what someone said or wrote. In writing, it functions to move a piece  along by boiling down points that an interview source made. Unlike direct speech, indirect speech is  not  usually placed inside quote marks. However, both are attributed to the speaker because they come directly from a source. How to Convert In the first  example below,  the  verb  in the  present tense  in the line of direct speech (is)  may change to the  past tense  (was) in indirect speech, though it doesnt necessarily have to with a present-tense verb.  If it makes sense in context to keep it present tense, thats fine. Direct speech:  Where is your textbook? the teacher asked me.Indirect speech:  The teacher asked me  where my textbook was.Indirect speech: The teacher asked me where my textbook is. Keeping the present tense in  reported speech  can give the impression of  immediacy, that its being reported soon after the direct quote,such as: Direct speech:  Bill said, I cant come in today, because Im sick.Indirect speech:  Bill said (that) he cant come in today because hes sick. Future Tense An action in the future (present continuous tense or future)  doesnt have to change verb tense, either, as these examples demonstrate. Direct speech:  Jerry said, Im  going to buy a new car.Indirect speech:  Jerry said (that) hes going to buy  a new car.Direct speech:  Jerry said, I will buy a new car.Indirect speech:  Jerry said (that) he will buy a new car. Indirectly reporting an action in the future can change verb tenses when needed. In this next example, changing the  am going  to was going implies that she has already left for the mall. However, keeping the tense progressive or continuous  implies that the action continues, that shes still at the mall and not back yet. Direct speech:  She said, Im going to the mall.Indirect speech:  She said (that) she was going to the mall.Indirect speech: She said (that) she is going to the mall. Other Changes With a past-tense verb in the direct quote, the verb changes to past perfect. Direct speech:  She said,  I went to the mall.Indirect speech:  She said (that)  she had gone to the mall. Note the change in first person (I) and second person (your)  pronouns  and  word order  in the indirect versions. The person has to change because the one  reporting the action is not the one actually doing it. Third person (he or she) in direct speech remains in the third person. Free Indirect Speech In  free indirect speech, which is  commonly used in fiction, the reporting clause  (or signal phrase) is omitted. Using the technique is a way to follow a characters point of view- in third-person limited omniscient- and show her thoughts intermingled with narration. Typically in fiction italics show a characters exact thoughts, and quote marks show dialogue. Free indirect speech makes do without the italics and simply combines the internal thoughts of the character with the narration of the story. Writers who have used this technique include James Joyce, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, Zora Neale Hurston, and D.H. Lawrence.