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: Your father said to me, "I should not have given my daughter such a long rope."

Introduction / Context:
This question addresses how to report a statement of regret in Indirect speech. The Direct sentence is: Your father said to me, "I should not have given my daughter such a long rope." The expression "give someone a long rope" means to give a person too much freedom or liberty. You must preserve the modal and the idiomatic meaning in the reported form.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Speaker: your father. - Listener: me. - Direct statement: I should not have given my daughter such a long rope. - Modal structure: should not have given (regret about a past action).

Concept / Approach:
When reporting a statement with "should not have done something", we normally keep the modal "should" in reported speech to preserve the nuance of regret or criticism about a past decision. The pronoun "I" in Direct speech becomes "he" in Indirect speech, referring to "your father". The possessive "my daughter" becomes "his daughter". "Said to me" changes to "told me", which is more natural when the reporting verb takes an object.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Replace "said to me" with "told me". Step 2: Introduce the reported clause with "that". Step 3: Change "I" to "he" and "my daughter" to "his daughter". Step 4: Keep the modal phrase "should not have given" unchanged to show regret about the past action. Step 5: Keep the idiom "such a long rope" as it is, since idioms should not be literally rewritten in this context. Step 6: The final sentence is: Your father told me that he should not have given his daughter such a long rope.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we convert the Indirect sentence "Your father told me that he should not have given his daughter such a long rope" back into Direct speech, we obtain: Your father said to me, "I should not have given my daughter such a long rope." The structure, modal expression, and idiomatic meaning are preserved, confirming that the transformation is accurate.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A says "he had not given his daughter such a long rope", which removes the sense of regret and instead states a simple fact that he did not give her such freedom. Option C changes "should not have given" to "could not have given", which implies inability rather than regret about a choice. Option D uses the incorrect construction "told to me"; the correct form is "told me" without "to".

Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse different modal expressions and their meanings. "Should not have done" expresses regret or criticism, whereas "could not have done" expresses impossibility. Another common mistake is mishandling idiomatic expressions like "give a long rope" by translating or simplifying them unnecessarily in reported speech. In examinations, it is important to keep the idiomatic phrase unchanged while adjusting pronouns and auxiliaries correctly.

Final Answer:
Your father told me that he should not have given his daughter such a long rope.