Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct speech.
They said that they would issue the certificate the following week.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. They said, “We will issue the certificate next week.”
The following rules are followed to convert the given indirect (reported) speech sentence into its direct form:
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Change the pronouns according to the context of the direct speech. In this case, "they" changes to "we."
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Change the tense of the verb in a reported speech to match the context of the direct speech. In this case, "would issue" changes to "will issue."
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Modify the time expressions to reflect the direct speech context. In this case, "the following week" changes to "next week."
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Introduce quotation marks around the direct speech, and add appropriate punctuation, including a comma after the reporting verb.
Thus, these rules, the direct form of the sentence becomes: They said, 'We will issue the certificate next week.