Quoted speech is one way of saying or writing what someone has said. It is used to repeat exactly the same words that were said, using quotation marks.
- She is my sister.
- Jenny said, "She is my sister."
Quoting one sentence
- Tom said, "My wife is a doctor."
- "My wife is a doctor," Tom said.
- "My wife," Tom said, "is a doctor."
Quoting a question
- Tom asked, "When will you be home?"
- "When will you be home?" Tom asked.
Quoting more than one sentence
- Tom said, "My wife is a doctor. She works at the hospital."
- "My wife is a doctor," Tom said. "She works at the hospital."
Quoting an exclamation
- Tom said, "Be careful!"
- "Be careful!" Tom said.
In quoted speech, the verbs say and ask are the most commonly used. However, other verbs can be used. Some examples are:
- added
- agreed
- announced
- begged
- commented
- complained
- explained
- promised
- replied
- responded
- shouted
- suggested
- whispered
- The man begged, "Please let me go!"
- "Absolutely not!" the man responded.
- "We will do the test after break time this afternoon," the teacher announced.
Exercise
Please click the Exercise link to continue.