Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
"Don't be late." The teacher told us _________.

• A. not to be late
• B. not being late
• C. to be late
• D. we don't be late

Answer 1

The correct option is A not to be late

The two ways of relating what a person has said are 1)direct and 2)indirect (reported).

In the direct speech, the exact words of the original speaker are repeated.

In the indirect speech (reported speech), the exact meaning of what the speaker told is expressed but not necessarily in the speaker’s exact words.

Option A is correct as the direct speech is negative and the appropriate preposition 'to' is used.

Options B, C, and D are wrong as 'being' cannot be used, the instruction is negative, and the meaning is changed respectively.

The correct answer is A) not to be late.