Out of the given options, choose the Direct Speech for the sentence:-
He exclaimed sadly that he was undone.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → He said, 'Alas! I am undone.'
Exclamation: indirect to direct speech:
| Change | Indirect | Direct | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | exclaimed | said | “Exclaimed” becomes the plain said, and the exclamation is put inside the quotation marks. |
| Tense change | was | am | Past “was” goes back to the present am. “That” is dropped. |
| Pronoun change | he | I | He becomes I, because the speaker talks about himself. |
| Interjection | sadly | Alas! | “Sadly” shows sorrow, so the direct speech begins with Alas!, the interjection of grief. |
| Full sentence | He exclaimed sadly that he was undone. | He said, ‘Alas! I am undone.’ |
Meaning kept: undone (ruined) stays as it is.
Example: Alas, the old banyan tree has been cut down.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: He said, 'I am undone!' — Incorrect. It leaves out the sorrow shown by "sadly". There is no interjection such as "Alas!".
Option 3: He said, 'Sadly I am done.' — Incorrect.
- "Done" (finished) is not "undone" (ruined).
- "Sadly" is not an exclamation.
Option 4: He said, 'Alas! I am done.' — Incorrect. The interjection is right, but "done" changes the meaning of "undone".