Select the correct option for the Direct Speech converstion of the sentence below.
The Zoologist warned that the island's carrying capacity might be exceeded should invasive species proliferate unchesked.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. The zoologist said, 'The island's carrying capacity might be exceeded should invasive species proliferate unchecked.'
Changes required:
Conjunction: The conjunction “that” is removed and replaced with inverted commas (“__”) and a comma to separate the reporting verb from the direct speech.
Verb: The reporting verb “warned” is changed back to “said” to reflect the standard direct speech format when no specific listener is mentioned.
Tense: In this specific context, the modal “might” and the conditional structure “should... proliferate” remain the same in direct speech as they represent a possibility or formal condition.
Others: The spelling error “unchesked” in the indirect sentence is corrected to “unchecked” in the direct speech version.
Converted sentence: The zoologist said, 'The island's carrying capacity might be exceeded should invasive species proliferate unchecked.'
Hence, the chosen option is correct.