indirect discourse

American  

[in-di-rekt dis-kawrs] / ˈɪn dɪˈrɛkt ˈdɪs kɔrs /

noun

1. the reporting of what a speaker said consisting not of the speaker's exact words but of a version transformed for grammatical inclusion in a larger sentence, as in She said she was not at all hungry.

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Etymology

Origin of indirect discourse

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

She is a brilliant wordsmith, who had a transformative effect in literature by shifting the focus inward using indirect discourse to combine a character’s inner thoughts with the narrator’s voice.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

The novel, peppered with rants about ex-wives, newsroom politics, and the Long Island Expressway, is an astonishing read for many reasons, including O’Reilly’s credible ability to write in free indirect discourse.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 20, 2017

In other words, you don't have to know what free indirect discourse is to read it, because you already know how to read it.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week for the first time in months he again spoke encouragingly to the nation on economic improvement—but only in indirect discourse.

From Time Magazine Archive

A third principle is that indirect discourse is not always introduced with an expression like he said that or she thought that; sometimes it is implicit in the context.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker