A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in…

Question

A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech. The scientist said, “We have been working on this project for months.”

1. A. The scientist said they had been working on that project for months. (Correct answer)
2. B. The scientist said they have been working on this projects for months.
3. C. The scientist said that they were working on that project.
4. D. The scientist said that we had worked on this project.

Correct Answer

Option A — The scientist said they had been working on that project for months.

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is The scientist said they had been working on that project for months..

Key Points

• Converting direct to indirect: present perfect continuous ('have been working') shifts back to past perfect continuous ('had been working'); 'we' becomes 'they'; and 'this' becomes 'that'.
• All three shifts together give: 'The scientist said they had been working on that project for months.' Options that keep the present tense, mis-pluralise 'projects', or leave pronouns unchanged each miss one required backshift.