A sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect Speech. Out of the four given alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct Speech.
"How clever you are!" he said.
- AHe exclaimed that she is clever.
- BHe said how clever she was.
- CHow clever she was, he said.
- DHe exclaimed that she was very clever.
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
The given sentence is an exclamatory sentence in Direct Speech. When converting exclamatory sentences into Indirect Speech:
The reporting verb "said" is changed into "exclaimed".
The conjunction "that" is used.
The exclamatory sentence is converted into an assertive sentence.
The present tense ("are") changes to the corresponding past tense ("was").
Expressions like "How clever" are changed to intensified terms like "very clever".
Thus, the correct sentence is: "He exclaimed that she was very clever."
The reporting verb "said" is changed into "exclaimed".
The conjunction "that" is used.
The exclamatory sentence is converted into an assertive sentence.
The present tense ("are") changes to the corresponding past tense ("was").
Expressions like "How clever" are changed to intensified terms like "very clever".
Thus, the correct sentence is: "He exclaimed that she was very clever."