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

Question

A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech. The manager told the staff that deadlines must be followed strictly.

1. A. "Deadlines must be followed strictly," said the manager. (Correct answer)
2. B. "You should follow deadlines strictly," said the manager.
3. C. "Follow deadlines strictly," the manager said.
4. D. "Deadlines are to be followed," said the manager.

Correct Answer

Option A — "Deadlines must be followed strictly," said the manager.

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is "Deadlines must be followed strictly," said the manager.

Key Points

• Converting indirect to direct speech reverses the usual changes: remove that, restore the speaker's exact words inside quotation marks, and keep the original punctuation and capitalisation.
• The indirect clause "deadlines must be followed strictly" contains the modal must, which is preserved in the direct form — so the wording carries over unchanged.
• Option B rewrites *must* as *should*, weakening the obligation; option C converts a statement into an imperative; option D changes "must be followed" to "are to be followed", altering the force.
• Reproduce the reported words as exactly as the options allow — the right answer changes the framing, never the content.

Additional Information

• Converting indirect to direct speech reverses the usual changes: restore the original tense and pronouns, remove *that*, and enclose the words in quotation marks with a capital first letter.
• Question forms take a question mark and the interrogative order; commands become imperatives ("Follow deadlines strictly").
• The reporting verb signals the sentence type: *said* for statements, *asked* for questions, *told/ordered* for commands, *exclaimed* for exclamations — and must be preserved in the conversion.