One of the most pervasive features of 'narrative texts' is the reporting of what was said. In this article, I propose to examine the representation of speech and its function in factual and fictional texts in order to consider the principles of organisation and selection that underlie any representation of speech and their stylistic effects. I will consider the various possibilities available to writers to represent what people said (or were perceived or imagined to have said), since the

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... nt options may influence the way the represented utterances are received and interpreted by readers. One of the most pervasive features of 'narrative texts' is the reporting of what was said. In this article, I propose to examine the representation of speech and its function in factual and fictional texts in order to consider the principles of organisation and selection that underlie any representation of speech and their stylistic effects. I will consider the various possibilities available to writers to represent what people said (or were perceived or imagined to have said), since the different options may influence the way the represented utterances are received and interpreted by readers.