- Direct speech
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Direct or quoted speech is a sentence (or several sentences) that reports speech or thought in its original form, as phrased by the first speaker.[1] It is usually enclosed in quotation marks. The cited speaker is either mentioned in the inquit (Latin "he says") or implied.
Examples
- He said, "It's raining."
- "It's raining," he thought.
- "It's cold outside," he said, "and it's starting to rain."
- "How is the weather?" — "It's cold outside." — "Yes, and it's starting to rain."
Comparison between direct, indirect and free indirect speech
- Quoted or direct speech:
- He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. "And just what pleasure have I found, since I came into this world?" he asked.
- Reported or normal indirect speech:
- He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. He asked himself what pleasure he had found since he came into the world.
- He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. And just what pleasure had he found, since he came into this world?
References
- ^ Loos, Eugene E.; Susan Anderson; Dwight H. Day, Jr.; Paul C. Jordan; J. Douglas Wingate. "What is direct speech?". Glossary of linguistic terms. SIL International. http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOflinguisticTerms/WhatIsDirectSpeech.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
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