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.”

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Etymology

Origin of direct discourse

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

direct discourse

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

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

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 William Lyon Phelps

Note the characteristic change of person, the transition from indirect to direct discourse.

From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith

If the teacher puts much direct discourse in a story of this kind when she tells it to the pupils, the task of dramatizing will naturally be made easier.

From Children's Literature A Textbook of Sources for Teachers and Teacher-Training Classes by Erle Elsworth Clippinger