Reported speech: direct speech

Direct speech is a representation of the actual words someone said. A direct speech report usually has a reporting verb in the past simple. The most common reporting verb is said. The reporting clause may come first or second.

reporting clause first	reported clause	reporting clause second
Jimmy said,	‘Let me have a look.’
Then the child asked,	‘Are there any toys?’
	‘Hand it over at once!’	he demanded.
	‘I believe that too,’	she added.

The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:

“No,” she said, “I’ve never seen it before.”

‘Was it,’ he asked, ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’

We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:

“I will not accept it!” he said angrily.

‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously.

Direct speech: inversion of subject and reporting verb

In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):

“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V]said[S]the old man.

‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V]cried[S]Maurice.

Direct speech: present simple and continuous reporting verbs

Informal narratives

In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:

So then this guy says, “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says, “Open that.”

We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:

And he’s looking at me and he’sasking, “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he’smumbling, “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons (I, you, she, he, we, they):

Shesays, ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says, ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’

Warning:

Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.

Newspaper headlines

We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:

‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER