Select the correct direct form of the given sentence.

The teacher told us that all the girls were playing in the garden.

The teacher said, ‘all the girls are playing in the garden.’

The correct direct form of the given sentence is:

The teacher said, "All the girls were playing in the garden."

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

• The teacher complained, "All the girls are playing in the garden." - The verb "complained" is not appropriate in this context, as the teacher is simply telling the students what is happening.
• The teacher said, "All the girls had been playing in the garden." - The past perfect tense verb "had been playing" is not appropriate in this context, as the teacher is telling the students about the present situation.