Choose the correct direct speech form of the following sentence.
He exclaimed that the flower was looking very beautiful, which was placed in the vase.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Transformation from indirect speech to direct speech:
Reporting Verb: The word exclaimed in indirect speech indicates that the original direct speech was an exclamatory sentence, typically starting with "How" or "What."
Tense Change: When converting from indirect to direct speech, the past continuous "was looking" reverts to the present continuous "is looking". Similarly, "was placed" reverts to "is placed".
Sentence Structure: "How" is used with adjectives (beautiful) to express surprise or admiration in an exclamatory format. The first option correctly follows this structure and matches the necessary tense shifts.
Direct speech: He said, "How beautiful the flower is looking, which is placed in the vase!"