Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct voice.
The coach told the athletes that they had been training hard all season and deserved a break.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The given sentence is in indirect (reported) speech and needs to be converted to direct speech. Conversion in direct speech requires changes in tense, pronouns, and reporting verbs:
The reporting verb 'told' (followed by an object 'the athletes') changes to 'said to the athletes'.
The pronoun 'they' changes to 'You' to address the athletes directly.
The past perfect continuous tense ('had been training') and past simple tense ('deserved') in the indirect sentence revert to their present forms: present perfect continuous ('have been training') and present simple ('deserve') in direct speech.