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Direct speech: reporting verbs and word order

Informal spoken reports: said, thought​

When we repeat people’s words or thoughts, we normally use say or think. They can go before sentences or at other natural breaks (e.g. between clauses or after discourse markers).

  • So I said, ‘What are you doing in our bedroom?’ ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I thought it was my room.’ Well, I thought, that’s funny, he’s got my handbag open. ‘If that’s the case,’ I said, ‘what are you doing with my handbag?’

Literary direct speech: ask, exclaim, suggest …​

In novels, short stories, etc, a much wider variety of reporting verbs are used: for example ask, exclaim, suggest, reply, cry, reflect, suppose, grunt, snarl, hiss, whisper. And reporting verbs are often put before their subjects (‘inversion’, (see here).

  • ‘Is this Mr Rochester’s house?’ asked Emma.
  • ‘Great Heavens!’ cried Celia. ‘Is there no end to your wickedness? I implore you – leave me alone!’ ‘Never,’ hissed the Duke …

Inversion is not normal with pronoun subjects.

  • ‘You monster!’ she screamed. (not … screamed she.)

In literary writing, reporting expressions often interrupt the normal flow of the sentences quoted.

  • ‘Your information,’ I replied, ‘is out of date.’

I was like …​

In recent years the structure be like, meaning ‘say’, has become common in informal speech as a reporting formula, especially when describing people’s attitudes.

  • I was like, ‘Why don’t you come out with us?’, and she was like, ‘OK, cool, what time?’

Originally used mostly by young Americans, the structure is now common in the speech of many people of all ages in both Britain and North America.

  • I didn’t want to be like ,‘Please be quiet’. (A university teacher talking about students chatting in lectures.)