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 official said that only if the forms were submitted on time would the applications be processed.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Indirect speech:
“The official said that only if the forms were submitted on time would the applications be processed.”
Key points:
The sentence uses inversion:
“only if … would …”
In direct speech, this structure must be preserved exactly
Correct direct speech:
“Only if the forms were submitted on time would the applications be processed,” said the official.