Choose the correct indirect speech:She said, "What a lovely dress it is."
Correct answer: B. She exclaimed that it was a lovely dress.
- A. She exclaimed that it is a lovely dress.
- B. She exclaimed that it was a lovely dress.
- C. She exclaimed that what a lovely dress it was.
- D. She exclaimed what a lovely dress it is.
Explanation
In indirect speech, the tense of the verb usually shifts back to reflect the fact that the reporting is happening after the original speech. As a result, 'is' becomes 'was'. Additionally, exclamatory sentences are often reported by using verbs like 'exclaimed' and converting the sentence into a statement. The correct answer, Option B, successfully makes these adjustments. Option A fails to change the verb tense. Option C improperly retains the exclamatory form. Option D also fails to change the verb tense and retains the exclamatory structure.
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About Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct speech gives a speaker’s exact words, whereas indirect speech reports the meaning without quotation marks. Questions cover reporting verbs, pronoun changes, tense backshift, time and place expressions, punctuation, and the transformation of questions, commands and requests, including cases where backshift is not required.
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