Definition

Direct speech is a structure of sentence where we quote someone's exact words. Reported speech is when we paraphrase what someone has said.

Direct speech can be used to make a character's dialogue more realistic, or to emphasize a particularly important line. Reported speech is often used in narrative to move the story along without bogging it down in too much quoted dialogue.

What's important is to choose the right tool for the job. If you're not sure, err on the side of reported speech - it's usually the more concise and elegant option.

‍

Examples of direct speech

1. "I'm sorry," she said.
2. "I didn't do my homework," she said.
3. "I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't make it to the party"
4. "Hurray, we now have two months of summer holidays!" she said.

‍

Point to be noted:

One example of direct speech is when someone says something out loud. For example, if someone says "I'm going to the store," that is an example of direct speech. Another example of direct speech is when someone writes something down. For example, if someone writes "Mary wants to go to the store," that is an example of direct speech.

‍

Examples of indirect speech

• "I'm feeling really tired today," said Sarah.

Sarah said that she was feeling really tired that day.

• "I can't believe it's already October," John said.

John said that he couldn't believe it was already October.

• "I'm going to the park later," Jenny said.

Jenny said that she was going to the park later.

‍

Rules while writing reported speech

There are a few simple rules to reported speech that will help you use it correctly. 

• First, you need to change the tense of the verb to match the tense of the reporting verb. For example, if the original speaker said “I am going to the store,” but you are reporting what they said, you would say “He said he was going to the store.”
• Second, you need to change the pronoun to match the subject of the reporting verb. So, if the original speaker was talking about themselves, you would use the pronoun “he” or “she.”
• Thirdly, you need to make sure that the reported speech matches the tone of the original speaker. If they were being serious, you should report what they said seriously. If they were joking, you should report their words as a joke.

‍

Conclusion

Direct speeches are used to quote someone and indirect speech or reported speech is used while reporting someone.

‍