Definition

Noun: A grammatical construction used to report what someone said or thought, without quoting their exact words. It involves modifying the original statement's pronouns, verb tenses, and other deictic elements (words like "here," "now," "this") to fit the perspective of the reporting context.

Usage

Indirect discourse (also called reported speech) is used to summarize or relay speech or thought. It is typically introduced by a reporting verb (e.g., said, thought, explained, believed) and often uses a subordinate clause (introduced by that, which can be omitted).

Examples

• She said (that) she was tired. (Direct discourse: She said, "I am tired.")
• He explained he would arrive late. (Direct discourse: He explained, "I will arrive late.")
• They thought (that) the plan was excellent. (Direct discourse: They thought, "The plan is excellent.")

Advanced Usage

• Tense Backshifting: A key feature is the shifting of verb tenses to a past form when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
  • Direct: "I need help." → Indirect: She said she needed help.
  • Direct: "We have finished." → Indirect: They announced they had finished.
• Modification of Deictic Words: Words indicating time and place are adjusted.
  • Direct: "I'll do it tomorrow." → Indirect: He promised he would do it the next day.
  • Direct: "I live here." → Indirect: She mentioned she lived there.

Variants and Related Words

• Direct Discourse (Noun): The exact, verbatim quotation of someone's speech, typically enclosed in quotation marks.
  • Example: She said, "I am leaving now."
• Reported Speech (Noun): A common synonym for "indirect discourse."

Synonyms

• Reported speech

Antonyms

• Direct discourse
• Direct speech
• Quotation

Related Grammatical Concepts

• Sequence of Tenses: The grammatical rule governing tense harmony between a main clause and its subordinate clause, central to forming correct indirect discourse.
• Subordinate Clause: A clause, often beginning with , which cannot stand alone as a sentence and contains the reported information.

Noun

1. a report of a discourse in which deictic terms are modified appropriately (e.g., "he said `I am a fool' would be modified to `he said he is a fool'")