A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech.
The professor said that had he known earlier, he would have made the necessary arrangements.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 2 i.e. "Had I known earlier, I would have made the necessary arrangements," said the professor.
Changes required:
-
Conjunction: The conjunction “that” is removed, and the inverted commas are restored to enclose the direct speech.
-
Pronoun: The third-person pronoun “he” in the indirect speech is changed back to the first-person pronoun “I” to reflect the professor's original words.
-
Tense and Mood: The sentence uses a Type 3 Conditional (past unreal condition). In indirect speech, "had known" and "would have made" are already in their furthest past forms. Therefore, when converting back to direct speech, the tense remains Past Perfect to maintain the hypothetical nature of the statement.
-
Structure: The formal inverted structure (“Had I known...”) is a common literary way to express "If I had known..." This structure is preserved exactly in the direct quote.
Converted sentence: "Had I known earlier, I would have made the necessary arrangements," said the professor.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.