E2-d Use either direct or indirect quotation without mixing the two.

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Writers use direct quotation to present statements or questions in a speaker’s or another writer’s own words; they use indirect quotation to present the person’s words without quoting directly.

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person The form of a word that shows whether it refers to I or we (first person), to you (second person), or to he, she, it, or they (third person).

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To avoid shifts between direct and indirect quotation, make sure that your pronouns are consistent in person (see G2) and your verbs are consistent in mood (see G5-c).