Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct voice.
The scientist announced that the new compound would react violently if it came into contact with water, and that they had been observing its properties for months.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
When converting the given sentence from indirect speech to direct speech, the tense of the verbs must revert to their original form.
'would react' becomes 'will react' as the future action was originally stated in the present tense within the quote.
'came' remains 'comes' as it refers to a general or scientific truth (a conditional statement), which does not change tense.
'they had been observing' becomes 'we have been observing' to reflect the first-person perspective and the present perfect continuous tense used by the scientists in the original statement.