Choose the correct option to change the following sentence into Direct Speech.
Julia said that she could not attend our wedding.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Julia said, "I cannot attend your wedding."
Indirect statement to direct speech:
| Change | Indirect | Direct | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | (said) that | (said), “ ” | “Said” stays. “That” is removed and Julia’s words go inside inverted commas after a comma. |
| Pronoun change | she, our | I, your | Julia speaks of herself, so “she” becomes “I”. She speaks to the people who report her words, so “our” becomes “your”. |
| Tense change | could | can | The backshift of indirect speech is undone: “could” becomes “can”, so “cannot attend”. |
| Full sentence | Julia said that she could not attend our wedding. | Julia said, “I cannot attend your wedding.” |
Example: He said that he could swim well. → He said, “I can swim well.”
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Julia said, "She could not attend our wedding." — Incorrect.
- "She": Julia speaks of herself, so the direct form needs I.
- "our" is the reporter's word. Julia would say your.
- "could" keeps the backshifted tense of the indirect sentence.
Option 2: Julia said, "I will not attend your wedding." — Incorrect. "will not" expresses refusal or a future decision. "Could not" reports a lack of ability, which comes from can, not will.
Option 3: Julia said, "I am not attending your wedding." — Incorrect. "am not attending" states a plan. It would be reported as "she was not attending", not "she could not attend".