Select the option that expresses the following sentence in direct speech.
Mother warned me not to make a mess of the living room again.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3, i.e. “Mother warned, ‘Don’t make a mess of the living room again!’”
The original indirect sentence is:
Mother warned me not to make a mess of the living room again.
To convert into direct speech, since it’s a negative imperative (warning), we adjust it as follows:
Use “warned,” as the reporting verb (instead of “said” or “told”).
Express the warning directly with “Don’t…” and maintain the same place and repetition context.
Include appropriate punctuation: a comma before the quote, quotation marks around the spoken words, and an exclamation mark at the end.
That makes option 3 the correct direct speech form:
Mother warned, “Don’t make a mess of the living room again!”
Why the other options are incorrect:
Option 1: Uses “from the living room” instead of “of”—incorrect preposition and awkward phrasing.
Option 2: “Don’t you dare to have made a mess…” – overly dramatic and grammatically awkward.
Option 4: Uses “instructed” and phrasing like “You may not be making…” — this shifts tone and structure away from a clear warning.