Choose the option that correctly changes the following sentence into the Indirect Speech.
My friend said, "How hot it is!"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → My friend exclaimed how hot it was.
Exclamatory sentence in indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said | exclaimed | “Said” changes to “exclaimed”, the verb that reports an exclamation. |
| Tense change | is | was | The reporting verb is in the past, so “is” becomes “was”. The exclamation mark becomes a full stop. |
| Full sentence | My friend said, “How hot it is!” | My friend exclaimed how hot it was. |
Joining word: an exclamation beginning with How / What keeps that word ("how hot"). "That" is not added before it.
Example: She said, “What a lovely view it is!” → She exclaimed what a lovely view it was.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: My friend observed it was hot outside. — Incorrect. "Observed" reports a plain remark. The exclamation is lost, and "outside" is added.
Option 3: My friend noticed that how hot it was. — Incorrect.
- "Noticed" does not report a spoken exclamation.
- "that how" puts two joining words together.
Option 4: It was informed about hot weather. — Incorrect. The speaker ("my friend") disappears and the sentence says something else altogether.