Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect voice.
The historian said, "Even if the war had ended earlier, the long-term economic effects would have been equally devastating for the country."
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The original sentence is in the past tense ("had ended", "would have been"). When converting direct speech to indirect speech, the tense of the reported clause usually shifts to a more past form. However, in this case, the original sentence is a type 3 conditional (past perfect in the 'if' clause, perfect conditional in the main clause) which describes a hypothetical situation in the past. The tense of such conditional clauses generally does not change when reported in indirect speech because the hypothetical nature and the time frame remain the same.
Option B keeps the original tense in the reported clause, which is correct for this type of conditional sentence.