Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and Indirect Speech

A Preliminary Presentation

Direct Speech

• copies down what the speaker said (word for word)

• has an introductory part (he said, she asked)

• has a quoted part (enclosed in quotation marks - "I'm tired.")

Indirect Speech

• reports what was said by the speaker to others

• usually starts with the introductory part

• no quotation marks

Multiple Select

Which of the following is a quoted part?

• He said he was tired.

• "I am tired."

Changing from Direct to Indirect Speech

Usually, we write down the introductory part first, add a connecting word (such as that, whether, if, etc), then include the content of the quoted part.

Changing from Direct to Indirect Speech

Note that pronouns might change when changing from direct to indirect speech.

Example: "I gave you the money already," he said.

He said he gave you the money already.

Note where the quoted and introductory parts are, and what happened to the pronoun in the quoted part.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a direct speech?

• "If you won't join us, then we'll leave now," my sister said.

• She said that you were going to play basketball today.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an indirect speech?

• "Answer me!"

• "Let me in," he pleaded.

• She asked me if I'm going with them to the mall.

Poll

Do you know the difference between direct and indirect speech now?

• Yes

• No

• I'm unsure

Thank you.

We'll discuss this topic further next meeting. See you then!