In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct speech. Out of the four alternatives, select the option that best expresses the same sentence in Indirect (reported) speech: You said, "My parents never liked my accepting any job but I had always wanted to stand on my own feet."

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on reporting a complex statement that mixes a general habit of the past with a personal aspiration. The Direct sentence is: You said, "My parents never liked my accepting any job but I had always wanted to stand on my own feet." You must select the option that keeps the meaning, pronouns, and tense usage consistent in Indirect speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Speaker in Direct speech: you. - General statement: My parents never liked my accepting any job. - Personal desire: I had always wanted to stand on my own feet. - Reporting verb: said.

Concept / Approach:
In reported speech, the first person pronouns "my" and "I" must be changed to match the subject of the reporting verb, which is also "you". However, in Indirect speech narrated by another person, "my parents" becomes "your parents" and "my accepting" becomes "your accepting". The verb "never liked" refers to a general repeated attitude in the past and can remain in the same tense in reported speech. The clause "I had always wanted to stand on my own feet" expresses a long-standing desire in the past and can be represented as "you always wanted to stand on your own feet" in Indirect speech, without necessarily repeating the past perfect.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Keep the reporting verb "said" and introduce "that" to start the reported sentence. Step 2: Change "my parents" to "your parents" to reflect that the speaker is "you". Step 3: Change "my accepting any job" to "your accepting any job". Step 4: Keep "never liked" because it expresses a habitual past attitude. Step 5: Change "I had always wanted" to "you always wanted", which still shows a long-standing desire. Step 6: Change "my own feet" to "your own feet". Step 7: The complete reported sentence is: You said that your parents never liked your accepting any job but you always wanted to stand on your own feet.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, convert the Indirect sentence back into Direct speech from the perspective of the listener. "You said that your parents never liked your accepting any job but you always wanted to stand on your own feet" becomes: You said, "My parents never liked my accepting any job but I had always wanted to stand on my own feet." The core idea and relationships are preserved, which confirms that option B gives a correct reported form.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A changes the reporting verb to "regretted", which introduces a new emotional meaning not present in the original sentence. Option C uses "told that", which is ungrammatical; "told" requires an object like "told me" or "told him". It also uses "never like" instead of "never liked". Option D keeps "my parents" and "my accepting", which would mean the narrator is speaking about their own parents and not about the person addressed as "you".

Common Pitfalls:
Handling multiple pronoun shifts in a single sentence is challenging. Many learners forget to convert both subject and possessive pronouns consistently, leading to confusing or incorrect sentences. Another common difficulty lies in deciding when to keep a past simple tense and when to use past perfect. In this case, keeping "never liked" and simplifying "had always wanted" to "always wanted" is acceptable because the focus is on a general condition in the past rather than on a specific past-before-past relationship.

Final Answer:
You said that your parents never liked your accepting any job but you always wanted to stand on your own feet.