Direct speech

Direct or quoted speech is spoken or written text that reports speech or thought in its original form phrased by the original speaker; in narrative, it is usually enclosed in quotation marks, but could be enclosed in guillemet. The cited speaker is either mentioned in the inquit (Latin 'he/she says') or implied. Direct or quoted speech is spoken or written text that reports speech or thought in its original form phrased by the original speaker; in narrative, it is usually enclosed in quotation marks, but could be enclosed in guillemet. The cited speaker is either mentioned in the inquit (Latin 'he/she says') or implied. A crucial semantic distinction between direct and indirect speech is that direct speech purports to report the exact words that were said or written, whereas indirect speech is a representation of speech in one's own words.