Convert the following exclamatory sentence into Indirect speech by choosing the correct option: The coach said, "Bravo! Puneet, you have done well."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your ability to change an exclamatory sentence from Direct to Indirect speech. The original sentence involves praise expressed through the exclamation "Bravo" and a statement about Puneet's performance. Indirect speech must capture both the act of praising and the content of what was said, while obeying rules of tense change and pronoun adjustment.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: The coach said, "Bravo! Puneet, you have done well."
• Speaker: the coach.
• Listener: Puneet.
• Message: praise plus a statement about Puneet having done well.
• Reporting verb: "said" in the original.

Concept / Approach:
To convert an exclamation like "Bravo!" into indirect speech, we usually replace it with a reporting verb that captures the feeling, such as "applauded" or "praised". The present perfect "have done" in direct speech typically changes to past perfect "had done" in reported speech when the reporting verb is in the past. We also change "you" to "he" because the coach is talking about Puneet in indirect narration.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the emotion: "Bravo!" expresses admiration and applause for Puneet's performance. Step 2: Choose an appropriate reporting verb that conveys praise, such as "applauded" or "congratulated". Step 3: Change the second person pronoun "you" to the third person "he", because the reference is to Puneet. Step 4: Change the tense from present perfect "have done" to past perfect "had done" because the reporting verb "said" is in simple past. Step 5: Combine these changes into a grammatically correct indirect speech sentence.

Verification / Alternative check:
Evaluate the options: Option (A): "The coach applauded Puneet saying that he had done well." This correctly conveys praise (applauded), uses "he" for Puneet, and uses past perfect "had done" for the reported clause. Option (B): "The coach said to Puneet Bravo, he had done well." This retains the exclamation "Bravo" directly and does not convert the sentence into proper indirect speech. Option (C): "The coach congratulated Puneet, saying he did well." This captures the praise but keeps the tense in simple past "did well", not the preferred "had done well". It is less precise. Option (D): "The coach said to Puneet, that he did well." This changes to indirect speech but ignores the exclamatory tone and still uses simple past. Only option (A) fully satisfies the rules of reported speech for exclamations.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option (B) remains too close to direct speech and does not use an appropriate reporting verb for the emotion. Option (C) uses "congratulated" which is acceptable, but the tense "did well" is less accurate than "had done well" as a reported form of "have done well". Option (D) neither reflects the praise clearly nor adjusts the tense correctly, and the comma before "that" is awkward.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes forget to choose a specific reporting verb that matches the original exclamation, instead relying on "said". In exclamatory sentences, however, verbs like "exclaimed", "applauded", or "congratulated" often give a much clearer sense of the speaker's emotion. Another common mistake is to neglect tense change, especially between present perfect in direct speech and past perfect in indirect speech when the reporting verb is in the past.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech is "The coach applauded Puneet saying that he had done well."