Select the correct direct form of the given sentence:
They exclaimed with despair that it was a dark and stormy night.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer: They said, "What a dark and stormy night it is!"
Explanation
• To convert an indirect exclamatory sentence back to direct speech, the reporting phrase exclaimed with despair that is replaced by a reporting verb like said followed by direct exclamatory words.
• The simple past verb was in indirect speech shifts back to the simple present tense is in direct speech.
• The standard exclamatory structure with a modified singular noun is: What + a/an + adjective + noun + subject + verb! Hence, "What a dark and stormy night it is!" is grammatically correct.
• Using how requires the structure How + adjective + subject + verb! (e.g., How dark and stormy the night is!), making structures like "How a..." incorrect.