reported speech

reported speech direct speech in direct speech we usually put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. the words of the original speaker are enclosed in inverted commas, either single (‘…’) or double (“…”). if the reported clause comes first, we put the comma inside the inverted commas: “i couldn’t sleep last night,” he said. rita said, ‘i don’t need you any more.’ if the direct speech is a question or exclamation, we use a question mark or exclamation mark, not a comma: ‘is there a reason for this?’ she asked. “i hate you!” he shouted. we sometimes use a colon (:) between the reporting clause and the reported clause when the reporting clause is first: the …

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