Choose the option that is the most appropriate conversion of the following sentence into Direct Speech.
He said that the machine operates automatically but had malfunctioned that morning.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The original sentence in indirect speech is 'He said that the machine operates automatically but had malfunctioned that morning.'
When converting from indirect speech to direct speech:
The present tense 'operates' in indirect speech (used to state a general truth or fact) remains in the present tense in direct speech.
The past perfect tense 'had malfunctioned' changes back to the simple past tense 'malfunctioned'.
The time reference 'that morning' changes back to 'this morning'.
Option ‘C’ has all these changes.