Choose the most appropriate Direct Speech for the following sentence:
He applauded him, saying that he had done well.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) - He said, "Bravo ! You have done well".
- "Bravo!" is an interjection that expresses applause or admiration, which corresponds directly to "applauded him" in the indirect speech.
- "You have done well" is the present perfect tense, which is the correct tense to be converted into the past perfect "he had done well" in the indirect speech.
- The other options are not as good.
- "He said, 'You have done well'" is correct, but it lacks the applause element.
- "He told, 'You did well'" is incorrect because the tense is wrong.
- "He said, 'You had done well'" is incorrect because the tense would be wrong when changed into indirect speech.