1. Direct Speech or Quoted Speech

Direct speech is using the actual words that someone has said. We do not make changes to the quotation marks. We use them to enclose the spoken words, that is we place the quotation marks at the beginning and end of the words.

“Be careful! Keep your eyes open. See where you are going,” she said.

This is the direct speech. We merely repeat the exact words used by the speaker and keep the exact words within quotation marks

The direct speech can come at the beginning before the reporting verb, at the end after the reporting verb, or be broken up and the reporting verb comes in the middle. The reporting verb is a verb that expresses the action of speaking (e.g. He said , “ …”)

Examples:

“Be careful! Keep your eyes open. See where you are going,” she said.
She said, “Be careful! Keep your eyes open. See where you are going.”
“Be careful!” she said, “Keep your eyes open. See where you are going.”