Select the correct direct form of the given sentence.
I warned her that I could no longer tolerate her coming late.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → I said to her, “I can no longer tolerate your coming late.”
Changing a warning from indirect back into direct speech:
Here the change goes the other way. We start from the indirect sentence and get back the speaker's own words. To tolerate means to put up with something.
| Change | Indirect | Direct | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | warned her | said to her | "Warned" goes back to the plain "said to". The warning now shows in the spoken words inside the quotation marks. |
| Joining word | that | " " (quotation marks) | "That" is dropped. The spoken words go inside quotation marks. |
| Tense change | could | can | Going back, the past "could" returns to the present "can" (can + base form (V1)). |
| Pronoun change | her coming | your coming | In the quote she is spoken to directly. So "her" becomes "your". "I" stays "I", as I am the speaker. |
| Full sentence | I warned her that I could no longer tolerate her coming late. | I said to her, "I can no longer tolerate your coming late." |
Other words go back too: would → will, that → this, there → here. Example: Sita told me that she would call me that evening. → Sita said to me, "I will call you this evening."
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: I said to her, “He can no longer tolerate her coming late.” — Incorrect. I am the one who cannot tolerate it. "He" puts the feeling on someone else.
Option 2: I said to her, “You can no longer tolerate my coming late.” — Incorrect. "You ... my" turns the meaning around. Now she is upset about my coming late.
Option 4: I said to her, “I can no longer tolerate she coming late.” — Incorrect. She is the person spoken to. So her coming late is "your coming", not "she coming".