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.
"So great was his shock that he could barely utter a word," said the nurse.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Correct Answer
The nurse said that his shock was so great that he could barely utter a word.
Explanation
Rule: When converting a direct speech statement that uses a stable past tense description into indirect speech, look for the choice that accurately captures the original structure using the conjunction "that".
Structure Alignment: Option 4 perfectly standardizes the inverted phrase "So great was his shock" into direct narrative order ("his shock was so great") while maintaining the exact modal verb (could) and tense of the original statement.