A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech.
She said to her friend, "What a beautiful painting you have made!"
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Reporting Verb: Since the direct speech is an exclamation (ending in "!"), the reporting verb "said to" is changed to "exclaimed to" to reflect the tone.
Tense Change: The present perfect tense ("have made") in direct speech must be changed to the past perfect tense ("had made") in indirect speech.
Structure: The exclamatory phrase "What a beautiful painting" is converted into an assertive statement using "a very beautiful painting" to maintain the intensity of the original expression.
Indirect Speech: She exclaimed to her friend that she had made a very beautiful painting.