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.
"How strange that nobody noticed the missing file until today!" exclaimed the clerk.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
The clerk exclaimed that it was strange that no one had noticed the missing file until that day.
Explanation
When converting an exclamatory sentence from direct to indirect speech, several rules must be followed:
Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "exclaimed" is used alongside the conjunction "that".
Tense Shifts: * The implied present tense statement ("How strange [it is]...") shifts to the past tense ("it was strange").
The simple past tense verb inside the quote ("noticed") shifts to the past perfect tense ("had noticed").
Time Expressions: The word "today" shifts to "that day" to reflect the change in time perspective.
Key Points
Direct: "...nobody noticed... until today!"
Indirect: ...that no one had noticed... until that day.
Rule: Simple past always shifts to past perfect, and proximal time words (today/now) shift to distal time words (that day/then).