In this direct and indirect speech question, choose the option that correctly reports the encouragement: We said to her, "Do not give up. You are almost there."

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your ability to report a sentence that combines a negative imperative and an encouraging statement. The original words aim to motivate someone not to stop trying and to let her know that success is near. In indirect speech, you must express both the prohibition and the reassurance in a smooth, grammatically correct structure. These kinds of sentences are common in exams because they combine two clauses and require careful handling of verbs and pronouns.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct sentence: We said to her, "Do not give up. You are almost there."
• Reporting verb: said to, with object her.
• The first clause is a negative imperative: Do not give up.
• The second clause is a simple present statement: You are almost there.
• The speakers are we, and the listener is her.

Concept / Approach:
To report a negative imperative, we often use the pattern encouraged someone not to or advised someone not to, depending on context. The phrase do not give up becomes not to give up. The second clause you are almost there becomes she was almost there in reported speech, with both pronoun and tense changed. We can express the two ideas together using encouraged and told or using a single verb and a conjunction. A natural and complete form is We encouraged her not to give up and told her that she was almost there.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that the first clause is an imperative expressing encouragement, so encouraged is a suitable reporting verb. Step 2: Change said to her to encouraged her for the first part of the message. Step 3: Convert Do not give up into not to give up. Step 4: Change You are almost there into she was almost there, adjusting both pronoun and tense. Step 5: Combine the parts into one continuous reported sentence using and told her that to introduce the second idea.

Verification / Alternative check:
The completed sentence is: We encouraged her not to give up and told her that she was almost there. This preserves the sense of motivation and reassurance, shows clearly who is speaking and to whom, and correctly handles the imperative and simple statement. Both clauses are correctly transformed: the negative imperative becomes an infinitive phrase, and the present tense statement becomes a past tense clause with she as the subject.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is incomplete because it uses told her but does not explicitly show the encouragement, and it can feel less precise than encouraged her in this motivational context.
Option C is incomplete because encouraged her not to give up and that she was almost there lacks a clear verb like told to link the second clause properly.
Option D is less preferred because should not give up slightly changes the direct prohibition into advice, although close in meaning.
Option E is incorrect because not to have given up is a perfect form that suggests a completed action in the past, which does not match the original message about continuing effort.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget that negative imperatives are best reported with not to plus the base form of the verb. Another mistake is to leave you as you instead of changing it to she, or to keep are instead of changing it to was when the reporting verb is in the past. Learners may also join two ideas without repeating or adjusting the reporting verb, leading to an incomplete or awkward structure. Always identify whether the original sentence is advising, ordering, or encouraging, and then choose an appropriate reporting verb and structure.

Final Answer:
We encouraged her not to give up and told her that she was almost there.