indirect speech

esp US indirect discourse

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noun

the reporting of something said or written by conveying what was meant rather than repeating the exact words, as in the sentence He asked me whether I would go as opposed to He asked me, "Will you go?"Also called: reported speech

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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Words nearby indirect speech

indirectly, indirect object, indirect primary, indirect proof, indirect question, indirect speech, indirect tax, indiscernible, indiscerptible, indiscipline, indiscoverable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use indirect speech in a sentence

Those are troubling numbers, for unfettered speech is not incidental to a flourishing society.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is no such thing as speech so hateful or offensive it somehow “justifies” or “legitimizes” the use of violence.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Alessandro turned a grateful look on Ramona as he translated this speech, so in unison with Indian modes of thought and feeling.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
And so this is why the clever performer cannot reproduce the effect of a speech of Demosthenes or Daniel Webster.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
He said no more in words, but his little blue eyes had an eloquence that left nothing to mere speech.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
After pondering over Mr. Blackbird's speech for a few moments he raised his head.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Albinia, I have refrained from speech as long as possible; but this is really too much!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various