Using indirect speech to report words and ideas
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Uses of indirect speech | page 2 of 5 |
For stylistic purposes
In writing, indirect speech is sometimes used for stylistic reasons. A text that uses only direct speech tends to be less interesting than one which employs both forms of reporting. In other words, indirect speech adds variety to a text, as can be seen from the following newspaper report:
Three officers have been injured in the past four weeks and some police are linking the incidents to the presence of women on the firing range.
Last month, eight women officers from the Kowloon West Emergency Unit toured the facility to become acquainted with a variety of weapons.
Weapons training section, Superintendent Lee Yung-chi, last night dismissed the rumblings as "nonsense", adding that one of the officers had been taken ill before the women's familiarisation tour.
He also laughed at reports that had sought to cast a sinister pall over the only visit by women officers to his section.
"It is total nonsense; a coincidence," he said.
"They are so superstitious. It is typical of the Chinese community. We have some injuries every year."
Mr Lee said a sergeant had been slightly injured in a road traffic accident before Lunar New Year - and some weeks before the women dropped in to fire a few rounds. (SCMP 11/3/94)
Note the use of both direct speech (in bold) and indirect speech (in dark red) in the above text.
Introduction
For stylistic purposes
