What is direct speech?

Direct speech is a direct quote of another person’s exact words in the same order and in quotation marks (as opposed to indirect speech/reported speech, which is a form of paraphrasing).

The following examples illustrate the differences between direct speech and indirect speech/reported speech.

Direct speech: The recruiter asked, “Why do you want to work here?”
Indirect speech/reported speech: The recruiter asked me why I want to work there.

When you’re writing with direct speech, Quillbot’s free Grammar Checker can help you ensure that the quotation marks and other punctuation are in the right place.

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Sentence and word structure: Other interesting questions

What is the difference between “which” and “what”?: When used as an interrogative to form a question, “what” refers to an (essentially) unlimited set of options, while “which” refers to a narrower or limited set. For example:

What are you wearing to the concert?

Which shirt will you wear: the blue or the green?

What is your favorite song?

Which song should I play for the recital?

The choice of “what” or “which” often depends on the context of the sentence.
What is the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause?: An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand on its own as a complete sentence (e.g., “Puppies are playful”).

A dependent clause must be joined with an independent clause because it does not express a complete thought (e.g., “Puppies are playful because they have a lot of energy”).

Dependent clauses are marked by the use of subordinating conjunctions (e.g., “because,” “although,” “while”) or relative pronouns (e.g., “that,” “which,” “who”).
What is the difference between a compound predicate and a compound sentence?: In a compound predicate, two (or more) verbs share one subject (e.g., “Tan sings and dances very well”).

A compound sentence has two (or more) separate subjects that act on two (or more) separate verbs (e.g., “Tan sings, and Lina dances”).
Is down a noun?: The word down can function as a noun, with meanings including “small, soft feathers” and “a chance to advance the ball” in gridiron football. For example:

“Is this comforter filled with duck or goose down?”

“On fourth down, they decided to attempt a field goal.”

Not sure what part of speech “down” is in a sentence? Ask Quillbot’s free AI Chat to help you identify it.
What is the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses?: Both restrictive clauses and nonrestrictive clauses are types of relative clauses (or adjective clauses), which act as adjectives in sentences to describe nouns or pronouns.

Restrictive clauses give essential identifying information about the nouns they modify. They often answer the question “which one?” If they are removed from a sentence, the meaning of the sentence is changed or becomes unclear (e.g., “Apples that are picked too early are sour”).

Nonrestrictive clauses give extra, nonessential information about the nouns they modify. They can be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning or making it unclear (e.g., “Apples, which are my favorite fruit, are high in fiber”).

Nonrestrictive clauses are set off from the rest of the sentence by commas. Restrictive clauses should not be set off by commas.

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What is direct speech?

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Sentence and word structure: Other interesting questions

What is direct speech?

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Sentence and word structure: Other interesting questions

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