What distinguishes direct discourse from indirect discourse in reported speech?

Direct discourse is characterized by the use of quotation marks to indicate the exact words spoken by a speaker, clearly distinguishing the speaker's voice from the narrator's. This approach allows readers or listeners to engage with the speaker’s original wording, conveying the full impact of the statement. For instance, a sentence might say, “I am going to the store,” as a direct quotation, which preserves the speaker’s intent and emotion.

In contrast, indirect discourse paraphrases the spoken words without using quotation marks, presenting the essence of what was said but changing the wording to fit the grammatical structure of the reporting sentence. For example, the same sentence in indirect discourse would be reported as, He said that he was going to the store. Here, the original form is altered, and the speaker's voice is less directly represented.

This distinction emphasizes the presentation of speech: direct discourse offers a verbatim account, while indirect discourse provides a summary. Therefore, the use of quotation marks is a clear indicator that helps identify direct discourse, making this choice the right one.