An indirect question reports a question without asking it: We asked whether we could visit Miriam. A direct question asks directly: Can we visit Miriam? Sudden shifts from indirect to direct questions are awkward. In addition, sentences containing such shifts are impossible to punctuate because indirect questions must end with a period and direct questions must end with a question mark.

The revision poses both questions indirectly. The writer could also ask both questions directly: Did Karla know of the theft, and, if so, did she report it to the police?

An indirect quotation reports someone’s words without quoting word-for-word: Senator Kessel said that she wants to see evidence. A direct quotation presents the exact words of a speaker or writer, set off with quotation marks: Senator Kessel said, “I want to see evidence.” Unannounced shifts from indirect to direct quotations are distracting and confusing, especially when the writer fails to insert the necessary quotation marks, as in the following example.

The revision reports the patient’s words indirectly. The writer also could quote the words directly: The patient said, “I have been experiencing heart palpitations. Please run as many tests as possible to find out the problem.”