direct speech
Verbatim spoken words
Direct speech is the exact words someone said, presented as a quotation rather than paraphrased: She said, "I'm leaving tomorrow" versus the indirect She said she was leaving the next day.
Direct speech uses quotation marks and preserves the original wording, tense, and pronouns.
Also called direct discourse.
- quoteRepeated words from another
- verbatimIn identical wording
- word for wordExactly as spoken
- quotation marksPunctuation framing cited text
- inverted commasPunctuation enclosing quotations
scare quotes · utterance · dialogue · character voice · first person · saying · said · punctuation · soliloquy · inner monologue · monologue · narrative voice · dramatic dialogue · spoken word · literal · speaker · transcript · narrator
- English grammarnouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns
- candorfrankness, directness, bluntness, candor, straightforwardness
- communication skillspersuasion, active listening, empathy, body language, storytelling
- dialogueconversation, line, lines, banter, talk
- plain languageplain language, plain English, plain text, plain talk, simple English
- conversation in 18th century English literaturedialogue, discourse, wit, repartee, epistolary
direct speechindirect speech
Restating another's words
reported speech · paraphrase · third-person narration · summary
direct speechwriting
Recorded language on surface
written language · text · inscription · transcription · nonverbal communication
direct speechparaphrase
Restatement in new words
summary · précis · gist · condensation · restatement
direct, speech, direction, directly, director, indirect, directory, directive, indirectly