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 speech to indirect speech, several specific grammatical transformations must take place:
Reporting Verb: The phrase "exclaimed the clerk" is accurately carried over as "The clerk exclaimed that...".
Tense Change (Simple Past to Past Perfect): The direct speech contains the simple past verb "noticed". In indirect speech, this must backshift to the past perfect tense: "had noticed".
Time/Place Expression Change: The word "today" in direct speech must be updated to "that day" in indirect speech to reflect the shift in perspective.
Option 2 correctly implements all of these mandatory rules.
Key Points
Tense Shift:noticed (Simple Past) → had noticed (Past Perfect)
Time Shift: today → that day