Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct voice.
The judge said that the defendant's plea of not guilty had been a waste of the court's time, as the evidence which had been presented by the prosecution had clearly proven that he was guilty.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The key to converting indirect speech to direct speech is to revert the tenses to their original form.
The original reported sentence uses 'had been a waste' (past perfect) and 'had clearly proven' (past perfect), which in direct speech usually revert to 'has been a waste' (present perfect) and 'has clearly proven' (present perfect) respectively.
The phrase 'was guilty' (past simple) in indirect speech reverts to 'is guilty' (present simple) in direct speech.
Option B correctly reflects all these changes.