Direct Speech

Speech reported directly in the words used by the original speaker, without any changes in tenses, pronouns etc.

• She said, ‘I am going.’

• ‘Will you please help me?’ Ann asked.

• He said, ‘I want to go home.’

• ‘I am fed up’, Susie said.

In writing, direct speech is enclosed within quotation marks. It is separated from the reporting portion by a comma.

Ellipsis

We often leave out words to avoid repetition or in other cases when the meaning can be understood without them. This is called ellipsis.

• Nice day, isn’t it? (= It is a nice day, isn’t it?)

•Seems we have a problem. (= It seems we have a problem.)

•Seen Ann? (= Have you seen Ann?)

•Doesn’t know what she is talking about. (= She doesn’t know what she is talking about.)