indirect discourse
1Indirect discourse — Indirect In di*rect , a. [Pref. in not + direct: cf. F. indirect.] [1913 Webster] 1. Not direct; not straight or rectilinear; deviating from a direct line or course; circuitous; as, an indirect road. [1913 Webster] 2. Not tending to an aim,… …
2indirect discourse — discourse consisting not of an exact quotation of a speaker s words but of a version transformed from them for grammatical inclusion in a larger sentence. He said he was hungry is an example of indirect discourse. Cf. direct discourse. * * * …
3indirect discourse — n [U] AmE technical ↑indirect speech …
4indirect discourse — noun uncount LINGUISTICS the words you use to report what someone else has said, for example She said that we must leave. : REPORTED SPEECH …
5indirect discourse — n. statement of what a person said, without quoting the exact words (Ex.: She said that she could not go.) …
6indirect discourse — noun 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 ) • Ant: ↑direct discourse • Hypernyms: ↑report, ↑account * * * discourse consisting not of an… …
7indirect discourse — N UNCOUNT Indirect discourse is the same as indirect speech. [AM] …
8indirect discourse — noun (U) AmE technical indirect speech …
9indirect discourse — UK / US noun [uncountable] linguistics mainly American indirect speech …
10indirect discourse — in′direct dis′course n. gram. indirect speech …