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.
"If you had followed my advice, you would not be in this mess now," she said angrily.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
She angrily said that if I had followed her advice, I would not be in that mess then.
Explanation
Rule: When converting mixed conditional statements from direct to indirect speech, pronouns and words expressing time or nearness in place/situation must be shifted accordingly.
Formula:
Direct Speech: "this" → Indirect Speech: "that"
Direct Speech: "now" → Indirect Speech: "then"
Application: The direct statement uses a mixed conditional structure (if you had followed... you would not be...). The past perfect condition (had followed) remains unchanged because it is already backshifted to its furthest point. However, the markers of proximity must change: "this mess" becomes "that mess", and "now" becomes "then". Only option 3 implements both of these mandatory transformations.