Question

Which lines in these excerpts from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice are examples of free Indirect speech

1. Within a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets were particularly intimate. Sir William Lucas had been formerly in
trade in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune, and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayorally
The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly. It had given him a disgust to his business, and to his residence in a small market town, and, in
quitting them both he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from Meryton denominated from that period Lucas Lodige, where
he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and unshackled by business occupy himself solely in being chi to all the world. For
though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious on the contrary, he was all attention to everybody by nature inoffensive friendly
and obliging his presentation at St. James's had made him gourteous
2. He was quite young wonderfully handsome extremely agreeable, and to crown the whole he meant to be at the next assembly with a large
party. Nothing could be more delightful To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's
heart were entertained. "if I can but see one of my daughters happily settied at Netherfield" said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, and all the
others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for."

Answer 1

"Nothing could be more delightful To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's heart were entertained."

Step-by-step explanation:

A free indirect speech can be defined as a style of narrating a character's thoughts. This thought is presented in a combination of the third-person report and the first-person direct speech.

The statement from the given passages that exemplifies the free indirect speech is "Nothing could be more delightful To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's heart were entertained."

In this statement, Mr. Bingley's character is characterized using the free indirect speech.