Abstract: This article presents an analysis of the ways of representing inner speech in the stories of Anton Chekhov, depicting the family communication of the characters. The aim of this study is to investigate the introduction of verbs with a common meaning of speech activity, their semantics and functions in depicting speech as a component of family communication in the stories of Chekhov's mature period. The research is based on the principles and main provisions of the structural-semantic and functional approach; theories of conceptualization and language representation; linguistic and cultural theory; theory of artistic text and discourse, as well as theoretical foundations of family communication. During the study, it was found that the main technique used by Chekhov to convey inner speech is improperly direct speech, which serves to unite and interfere with the author's and character's modus in the hero's inner speech. In those Chekhov's texts where the narration is in the first person, in most cases verbs are used that convey external speech in dialogic family communication. Inner speech in these stories is not typical and is rare.