Change the following into Direct Speech choosing the appropriate option:-
He exclaimed sadly that he was undone.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → He said, "Alas! I am undone."
Indirect to direct speech (exclamation):
| Change | Indirect | Direct | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | exclaimed | said | “Exclaimed” becomes “said”, and the speaker's words go inside inverted commas. |
| Feeling | sadly | Alas! | “Sadly” is shown by an interjection of sorrow, “Alas!”. |
| Pronoun change | he | I | The third person “he” becomes the speaker's own “I”. |
| Tense change | was | am | The backshifted past “was” returns to the present “am”. |
| Full sentence | He exclaimed sadly that he was undone. | He said, “Alas! I am undone.” |
Example: She exclaimed with joy that she had won. → She said, “Hurrah, I have won!”
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: He said, "Alas! he is undone." — Incorrect. In his own words the speaker refers to himself as "I", not "he".
Option 3: He said, "Alas! I was undone." — Incorrect. The past "was" belongs to the reported form. The direct words need the present "am".
Option 4: He said, "Alas! I am being undone." — Incorrect. "Am being undone" is the present continuous passive, a process still going on. The reported sentence speaks of a state that has already come about.