Select the most appropriate direct form of the given sentence.

A worker told his companion that he was totally exhausted and couldn’t walk anymore.

A worker said to his companion, “I am totally exhausted and cannot walk anymore.”

The most appropriate direct form of the given sentence is:

A worker said to his companion, "I am totally exhausted and cannot walk anymore."

The other answer choices are incorrect for the following reasons:

• A worker said to his companion, "I was totally exhausted and couldn't walk anymore." - This is incorrect because the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, but the verb in the reported speech is in the present tense.
• A worker said to his companion, "He was totally exhausted and couldn't walk anymore." - This is incorrect because the pronoun "he" refers to the companion, but the worker is talking about himself.
• A worker said to his companion, "He is totally exhausted and couldn't walk anymore." - This is incorrect because the verb "couldn't" is used to express inability in the past, but the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense.