reporting clause
reported clause
Direct speech.
In direct speech we usually put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. The words of the original speaker are enclosed in inverted commas, either single (‘…’) or double (“…”). If the reported clause comes first, we put the comma inside the inverted commas:
“ I couldn’t sleep last night, ” he said.
Rita said, ‘ I don’t need you any more. ’
If the direct speech is a question or exclamation, we use a question mark or exclamation mark, not a comma:
‘Is there a reason for this ? ’ she asked.
“I hate you ! ” he shouted.
We sometimes use a colon (:) between the reporting clause and the reported clause when the reporting clause is first:
The officer replied: ‘It is not possible to see the General. He’s busy.’
Punctuation
In indirect speech it is more common for the reporting clause to come first. When the reporting clause is first, we don’t put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. When the reporting clause comes after the reported clause, we use a comma to separate the two parts:
She told me they had left her without any money.
Not: She told me, they had left her without any money .
Nobody had gone in or out during the previous hour, he informed us.
We don’t use question marks or exclamation marks in indirect reports of questions and exclamations:
He asked me why I was so upset.
Not: He asked me why I was so upset?
Say and tell.
We can use say and tell to report statements in direct speech, but say is more common. We don’t always mention the person being spoken to with say , but if we do mention them, we use a prepositional phrase with to ( to me, to Lorna ):
‘I’ll give you a ring tomorrow,’ she said .
‘Try to stay calm,’ she said to us in a low voice.
Not: ‘Try to stay calm,’ she said us in a low voice .
With tell , we always mention the person being spoken to; we use an indirect object (underlined):
‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told them .
Not: ‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told .
In indirect speech, say and tell are both common as reporting verbs. We don’t use an indirect object with say , but we always use an indirect object (underlined) with tell :
He said he was moving to New Zealand.
Not: He said me he was moving to New Zealand .
He told me he was moving to New Zealand.
Not: He told he was moving to New Zealand .
We use say , but not tell , to report questions:
‘Are you going now?’ she said .
Not: ‘Are you going now?’ she told me .
We use say , not tell , to report greetings, congratulations and other wishes:
‘Happy birthday!’ she said .
Not: Happy birthday!’ she told me .
Everyone said good luck to me as I went into the interview.
Not: Everyone told me good luck …
Say or tell ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| (= ) |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The reporting verbs in this list are more common in indirect reports, in both speaking and writing:
Simon admitted that he had forgotten to email Andrea.
Louis always maintains that there is royal blood in his family.
The builder pointed out that the roof was in very poor condition.
Most of the verbs in the list are used in direct speech reports in written texts such as novels and newspaper reports. In ordinary conversation, we don’t use them in direct speech. The reporting clause usually comes second, but can sometimes come first:
‘Who is that person?’ she asked .
‘It was my fault,’ he confessed .
‘There is no cause for alarm,’ the Minister insisted .
Verb patterns: verb + that -clause
Word of the Day
long weekend
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
Saturday and Sunday with at least one extra day added, either Friday or Monday.
It’s not really my thing (How to say you don’t like something)
To add ${headword} to a word list please sign up or log in.
Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one.
{{message}}
Something went wrong.
There was a problem sending your report.
In English grammar , the term ‘speech’ refers to the process of communicating or expressing one’s thoughts. It is an exchange of ideas or even a conversation. There are two ways in which you can report speech – direct speech and indirect speech . Direct speech is used to report or rather repeat the words spoken by the speaker or writer in the way it is told by the speaker, whereas indirect speech is the way in which you convey what someone said to another person, not necessarily using the exact words of the speaker.
In this article, you will learn the meaning and definition of direct speech. Also, go through the rules to be followed when using the direct speech and the examples given to understand how to use them accurately.
Definition of direct speech.
Examples of direct speech, test your understanding of direct speech, frequently asked questions on direct speech in english, what is direct speech.
Direct speech is a word-to-word repetition of what the speaker or writer has conveyed. In other words, it is a way in which you can report the exact words of the speaker. Direct speech can be used to convey something that is being said in the present or to tell someone about something that is to happen at a later point of time. Let us now take a look at how various dictionaries define direct speech to further understand what it is.
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, direct speech is defined as “a speaker’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “when you use direct speech, you repeat what someone has said using exactly the words they used.” The Collins Dictionary defines direct speech as “speech which is reported by using the exact words that the speaker used” and according to the Macmillan Dictionary, direct speech is defined as “the exact words that someone has said.”
Like every other grammar topic, there are rules to be followed when using direct speech. Let us look at each one of them to know how direct speech can be used accurately and effectively.
Name of the speaker says/said, “Exact words of the speaker.” |
---|
You can become an expert in using direct speech if you practise well. Here are some ways you can do it.
Now that you know the rules to be followed, take a look at the following examples to have a better idea of how it is done.
Rearrange the following sentences to form direct speech and punctuate them appropriately.
1. vishal / my / is / in / brother / participating / race / said / the / running
2. asked / i / devi / like / maths / problems / solving / free time/ your / in / do / you
3. friends / said / wearing / we / my / are / red / for / dresses / wedding / the / reception
4. responded / teacher / nobody / when / have / completed / the / you / project / many / of / how / asked / the
5. reach / says / tonight / bangalore / he / will / i
6. guest / the / danced / children / the / chief / said / beautifully
7. mom / Finn’s / they / all / said / singing / favourite / are / songs / his
8. Bellas / susan / are / the / said / live / performing / world / the / acapella / at / raiser / curtain
9. love / father / said / i / my / you
10. sing / asked / you / with / maria / her / me / will
Now, if you finished rearranging the sentences, check if you have done it correctly from the answers given below.
1. Vishal said, “My brother is participating in the running race.”
2. I asked Devi, “Do you like solving maths problems in your freetime?”
3. My friends said, “We are wearing red dresses for the wedding reception.”
4. Nobody responded when the teacher asked, “How many of you have completed the project?”
5. He says, “I will reach Bangalore tonight.”
6. The chief guest said, “The children danced beautifully.”
7. Finn’s mom said, “They are singing all his favourite songs.”
8. “The Bellas are performing live at the World Acapella Curtain Raiser”, said Susan.
9. My father said, “I love you.”
10. Maria asked, “Will you sing with me?”
Direct speech is a word-to-word repetition of what the speaker or writer has conveyed. In other words, it is the way in which you report the exact words of the speaker. Direct speech can be used to convey something that is being said in the present or to tell someone at a later point of time.
What is the formula of direct speech.
When using direct speech, you can follow the formula given below. Name of the speaker says/said, “Exact words of the speaker.”
Immediately after the phrase mentioning who said the particular sentence, add a comma followed by open quotation marks, the words of the speaker (capitalise the first letter of the first word) followed by a period, question mark or exclamation mark and the close quotation marks.
Here are a few examples of direct speech that you can refer to.
ENGLISH Related Links | |
Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Request OTP on Voice Call
Post My Comment
Register with byju's & watch live videos.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
In nonfiction writing or journalism, direct speech can emphasize a particular point, by using a source's 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 ...
Indirect speech. In linguistics, speech or indirect discourse is a grammatical mechanism for reporting the content of another utterance without directly quoting it. For example, the English sentence Jill said she was coming is indirect discourse while Jill said "I'm coming" would be direct discourse. In fiction, the "utterance" might amount to ...
Indirect speech: Mary said that she loved ice cream. Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb. When you use indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb. For example: Direct speech: "I am going to the store," said John. Indirect speech: John said that he was going to ...
INDIRECT SPEECH definition: 1. the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words 2. the act of…. Learn more.
Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
INDIRECT SPEECH meaning: 1. the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words 2. the act of…. Learn more.
Direct and Indirect Speech. When writers write about phrases or sentences a source has said, they can use either direct speech or indirect speech. Direct speech is used to repeat what someone else ...
The reporting of something said or written by conveying what was meant rather than repeating.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.
Definition of Indirect Speech. Indirect speech is also known as reported speech. You may also see it referred to as indirect discourse or indirect narration. Indirect speech is the reporting of what someone else said in your own words but without changing the meaning of what was said. Reporting verbs are used to present indirect speech. The ...
Direct speech: Aslam said, "Do not beat him". Indirect speech: Aslam ordered to not beat him. The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case order the speaker gives a direct command. Then said will be changed into ordered For example: Direct Speech: The father said to me, "Sit down.".
Direct speech is when we report what someone says by repeating the exact words. In writing, we use inverted commas: Michelle said, "I'll call them tomorrow." (direct speech) Indirect speech (also called reported speech) is when we give the same meaning of what someone says without repeating the exact words. In this case, we do not use inverted ...
Direct speech: He will say, "Sara is going to school". Indirect speech: He will say that Sara is going to school. (Tense not changed) Rule 4. Change in Pronoun. The pronoun (or subject) of the reported is changed according to the pronoun (or subject) of the reporting verb (first part) of the sentence.
Cha nges in pronoun s. The changes in pronouns in indirect speech depends on the subject and the object of the reporting verb. Rule 1: The first person of reported speech changes based on the subject of the reporting verb. Example: She said, "I watched a movie" can be converted into She said that she had watched a movie.Hence, the first person in the direct speech "I" has become "she ...
Indirect speech definition: the reporting of something said or written by conveying what was meant rather than repeating the exact words, as in the sentence He asked me whether I would go as opposed to He asked me, "Will you go?". See examples of INDIRECT SPEECH used in a sentence.
Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you ...
By definition, indirect speech is a sentence where we tell or report the content of what a particular person said by rephrasing their words instead of placing their exact words. It is basically a report statement where only the necessary or the important content of the speech spoken by someone is emphasized instead of the entire or full speech.
INDIRECT SPEECH. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used. She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had ...
If the direct speech uses a second-person pronoun as an object, report it using a first-person pronoun: Direct: Michael: 'I'm going to miss you so much.'. Indirect: Michael said he was going to miss me so much. Third-person pronouns in direct speech don't change in indirect speech: Direct: Cousin: 'They are going to love their new ...
An indirect speech act will normally be expressed as a declarative, interrogative, or imperative sentence; so the literal act will normally be a statement, question, or command. One of the best-known types of indirect speech act is the Rhetorical Question, which involves an interrogative sentence but is not intended to be a genuine request for ...
Definition of indirect speech noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Also called reported discourse . Traditionally, two broad categories of reported speech have been recognized: direct speech (in which the original speaker's words are quoted word for word) and indirect speech (in which the original speaker's thoughts are conveyed without using the speaker's exact words). However, a number of linguists have ...
Reported speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Direct speech is a word-to-word repetition of what the speaker or writer has conveyed. In other words, it is the way in which you report the exact words of the speaker. Direct speech can be used to convey something that is being said in the present or to tell someone at a later point of time. Q2.