direct speech

British  

noun

1. the reporting of what someone has said or written by quoting his exact words

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Example Sentences

As Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, put it in a remarkably direct speech at Davos, the U.S.-led world order is a thing of the past; it has been ruptured.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes said: "He made direct speech entertaining. With that he was ahead of his time. I'm just sorry he hasn't had more time."

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

This remained true even when participants were told to direct their attention toward a silent film and ignore the story, suggesting that top-down attention isn't required to mentally separate direct speech and its echo.

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024

“It was the toughest, coldest, and most direct speech I had ever heard John Kennedy give publicly,” O’Donnell said.

From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2015

Similarly, the narrative clause "said the schoolmaster" which interrupts the direct speech is read in lower pitch and is separated by a marked pause before and after.

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