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.
He told the volunteers that once the list was finalized, no further changes could be made under any condition.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
“No changes can be made once the list is finalized—under any condition,” he said.
Explanation
Rule: Converting a sentence from indirect to direct speech requires back-shifting the tenses and modal verbs to their original present-tense forms while ensuring all semantic constraints are precisely maintained.
Formula:
Indirect Modal: "could be made" → Direct Modal: "can be made"
Indirect Tense: "was finalized" → Direct Tense: "is finalized"
Application: The indirect statement specifies that no changes could be made once the list was finalized, under any condition. Reversing the tense shift turns "could" into "can" and "was" into "is". Option 3 perfectly preserves these core modal/tense requirements alongside the strict constraint "under any condition."