direct discourse

American  

[dih-rekt dis-kawrs, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛkt ˈdɪs kɔrs, daɪ- /

noun

1. a representation of speech in which the speaker's exact words are repeated, as in She said, “I'm not at all hungry.”

---

Etymology

Origin of direct discourse

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

The story proper is written entirely in direct discourse which is really soliloquy, shading sometimes into a kind of ghostly dialog.

From Time Magazine Archive

Material is generally considered to be later, for instance, as it increases in length, detail, and direct discourse, and decreases in Jewish influence.

From Time Magazine Archive

Often the Indirect Question represents a Deliberative Subjunctive of the direct discourse; as,— nesciō quid faciam, I do not know what to do.

From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)

We thus have all the advantages of direct discourse, all the gain in reality—without a hint as to what will be the fate of the leading actors.

From Essays on Modern Novelists by Phelps, William Lyon

Give other examples of direct discourse broken by narration.

From The Ontario High School Reader by Marty, A.E.