What is the difference between a direct and an indirect speech? Provide examples.

Direct speech and indirect speech are two different ways of reporting what someone has said. The main difference lies in the way the words and phrases are presented.

Direct speech involves quoting the exact words spoken by someone, using quotation marks. It is commonly used when we want to convey the speaker's exact words or when we want to add emphasis to a particular statement. For example:

1. She said, "I will be there at 5 o'clock."
2. "I love chocolate," he exclaimed.

In these examples, the exact words spoken by the person are enclosed within quotation marks.

On the other hand, indirect speech, also known as reported speech, involves reporting what someone has said without using their exact words. It usually involves a change in tense, pronouns, and other words to fit the context of the reporting sentence. Indirect speech is commonly used when we want to summarize or paraphrase what someone has said. For example:

1. She said that she would be there at 5 o'clock.
2. He exclaimed that he loved chocolate.

In these examples, the speaker's words are reported indirectly, without using quotation marks. The tense of the verb "will" changes to "would" in the indirect speech, and the pronoun "I" changes to "she" and "he" respectively.

It is important to note that when reporting statements, questions, commands, or exclamations, there are specific rules for changing the verb tense, pronouns, adverbs, and other words to fit the indirect speech. These changes depend on the context and the relationship between the speaker and the reported speech.

In summary, the main difference between direct and indirect speech lies in the presentation of the words spoken. Direct speech quotes the exact words using quotation marks, while indirect speech reports the words without using quotation marks and involves changes in tense, pronouns, and other words to fit the reporting sentence.