Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct speech.
The District Magistrate ordered the police to work all night and put an end to those riots.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. The District Magistrate told the police, 'Work all night and put an end to these riots.
The sentence 'The District Magistrate ordered the police to work all night and put an end to those riots.' is in indirect speech, where the District Magistrate's command is reported by someone else.
To convert into direct speech:-
- 'Ordered' changes to 'told' in direct speech, because when reporting commands or instructions, we often use 'tell' instead of 'order' in direct speech.
- The exact words spoken by the District Magistrate are enclosed in quotation marks.
- 'Those riots' becomes 'these riots' to match the speaker's current perspective (since direct speech reflects the immediate situation).
- The structure of the command in direct speech mirrors how it would be said aloud, without the need for indirect reporting verbs like 'ordered' or 'to.'
So, 'The District Magistrate told the police, 'Work all night and put an end to these riots.'' correctly represents the direct speech.