A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech.
The manager told the staff that deadlines must be followed strictly.

Correct option is A

The correct indirect/ direct speech is (a) “Deadlines must be followed strictly,” said the manager.
Explanation: The indirect speech contains “must be followed strictly”, which is a strong obligation and is already in a form that can be directly quoted. Option (a) keeps the same meaning, same modality (must), and matches the passive structure implied by “must be followed.”
Rules of conversion used:
· Indirect statement → Direct statement by restoring the exact message in quotes.
· Keep the modal verb consistent when it conveys obligation: “must” remains “must.”
· Reporting verb “told” becomes a suitable quoting form: “said the manager.”
· Example: He said that rules must be obeyed. → “Rules must be obeyed,” he said.
· Information booster / exceptions:
· Option (c) changes the structure to an imperative and drops “must be followed,” which slightly changes tone.
· Option (b) replaces “must” with “should,” which weakens obligation (must > should).