Question

Choose the correct option for the reported speech:

Direct speech: "I won't be able to attend the meeting," she said.

• A. She said that she couldn't attend the meeting.
• B. She said that she won't attend the meeting.
• C. She said she can't attend the meeting.
• D. She said she wouldn't be able to attend the meeting.

Answer 1

Answer:

D. She said she wouldn't be able to attend the meeting.

• In reported speech, when the reporting verb (in this case, "said") is in the past tense, the tense of the original statement typically shifts back one step.
• "Won't" becomes "wouldn't" to reflect this shift, and "will" becomes "would" when reporting a future intention or possibility.
• Additionally, "be able to" remains unchanged in this context.
• Therefore, option (D) accurately reflects the original statement while being reported.