Select the correct option for the Direct Speech conversion of the sentence below.
The ethicist argued that, absent informed consent, the study's methodology was fundamentally untenable.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. The ethicist argued, 'Absent informed consent, the study's methodology is fundamentally untenable.'
Changes required:
Punctuation: To convert to Direct Speech, we remove the conjunction 'that' and introduce a comma followed by inverted commas ('__') to enclose the speaker's original words.
Tense: When moving from Indirect to Direct speech, the tense usually shifts back. The past tense 'was' in the reported speech changes to the present tense 'is' to reflect the ethicist's actual statement at the time it was made.
Structure: The core argument ('Absent informed consent...') remains as the quote, maintaining the formal tone used by the speaker.
Converted sentence: The ethicist argued, 'Absent informed consent, the study's methodology is fundamentally untenable.'
Hence, the chosen option is correct.