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 teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Universal Truths: When a sentence in indirect speech expresses a universal truth or a habitual fact (like the sun rising in the east), the tense of the verb in the reported speech remains unchanged, regardless of the tense of the reporting verb.
Verb Tense: The original indirect sentence is "The teacher said that the sun rises in the east." Therefore, the direct speech must also use the simple present tense "rises."
Direct Speech Rules: To convert to direct speech, the conjunction "that" is removed, a comma is placed after the reporting verb ("said"), and the spoken words are enclosed in quotation marks with the first letter capitalized.