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 engineer indicated that the bridge would withstand the load provided the dampers remained within elastic limits.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
To find the correct direct speech, we look at the tense shifts that occurred in the indirect sentence:
"...the bridge would withstand the load provided the dampers remained..."
Modal Shift (Future): The word "would" in indirect speech is the past form of "will" from direct speech.
Direct: will withstand
Indirect: would withstand.
Tense Shift (Conditional): The word "remained" (Simple Past) in indirect speech indicates that the original statement was in the Simple Present ("remain").
Direct: remain
Indirect: remained.
Reporting Verb: While the indirect speech uses "indicated," it is common for the direct version to use "said" with the actual quote.
Connectors: The word "provided" is a formal conjunction meaning "if" or "on the condition that." It remains the same in both versions.