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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: She said that she wanted to meet the principal.

1. “I want to meet the principal,” she said.
2. “I wanted to meet the principal,” she said.
3. “I wished to meet the principal,” she said.
4. “May I meet the principal?” she said.

Correct answer: “I wanted to meet the principal,” she said.

Solution

In indirect speech, "wanted" indicates past tense. When converting back to direct speech, the speaker's original words are usually restored in the same tense context, so the correct form is "I wanted to meet the principal."

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