Direct And Indirect Speech

Telling Others' Stories

We constantly talk about what other people have said. 'John said, "I am happy."' is direct speech, quoting him word for word. But we often weave it into our own narration: 'John said that he was happy.' This is indirect or reported speech. It's a fundamental part of storytelling, conversation, and academic writing. But making the shift from direct to indirect speech is not always simple. It requires changes to pronouns, tenses, and word order. This chapter will provide the rules for making those changes accurately.

Direct speech reports a person's exact words. Indirect speech (or reported speech) reports the meaning of what a person said, without using their exact words.