Direct Speech is when the exact words of a speaker are quoted. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks and represents the speaker's words exactly as they were spoken. For example:
She said, "I am going to the store."
Indirect Speech (or reported speech) involves paraphrasing what someone said without using their exact words. It typically does not use quotation marks, and the sentence structure changes, often involving a reporting verb like "said" or "told." For example:
She said that she was going to the store.
The key difference is that direct speech retains the original phrasing and tone, while indirect speech changes the form, sometimes altering the tense and pronouns.