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 botanist sighed that the rare orchid had germinated, only to succumb to a latent fungal blight.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Indirect speech:
“The botanist sighed that the rare orchid had germinated, only to succumb to a latent fungal blight.”
Rule for changing indirect to direct speech:
Remove “that.”
Restore original tense if reporting verb is in past.
Use quotation marks.
Since the reporting verb “sighed” is in past tense, the past perfect “had germinated” changes back to simple past “germinated.”
Correct direct speech:
The botanist sighed, "The rare orchid germinated, only to succumb to a latent fungal blight."
Other options either distort tense or change structure.
Therefore, correct answer is the third option.