Term for Indirect Dialogue?

Question

There are two different types of dialogue I'm aware of, that for the moment I'll refer to as 'direct' dialogue and 'indirect' dialogue. However, I know these terms aren't the correct ones, and it's been driving me crazy not being able to remember. An example would probably be best. 'Direct' dialogue: "I don't want to do that," he said. 'Indirect' dialogue: He said that he didn't want to do that. One form uses quotes to show explicitly what was said by the person; the other merely states that the person said something, without giving their words exactly. What are the proper terms for these two methods of displaying dialogue? Thanks!

Answer 1

The "proper" terms are direct speech and reported speech. However, they aren't really significant, and your use of direct and indirect is very clear and I use it often with students. I hope that helps you.

Answer 2

Your self-created terminology was really close to correct! They are called direct speech and indirect speech.