In this reported speech question, choose the correct Indirect Speech form of the sentence: "The girl said to her partner, 'You will have to dance better than this tomorrow.'"

Introduction / Context:
This item tests your ability to convert a sentence with will have to and the time word tomorrow into Indirect Speech. The direct sentence is: The girl said to her partner, "You will have to dance better than this tomorrow." You must correctly express future obligation, change the demonstrative this and replace the time expression tomorrow in the reported form.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Speaker: the girl. - Listener: her dance partner. - Direct speech: You will have to dance better than this tomorrow. - Reporting verb: said to, in the past tense. - Time word: tomorrow, referring to the next day after speaking.

Concept / Approach:
In reported speech, will have to usually changes to would have to when the reporting verb is in the past, to indicate future obligation as seen from the earlier time. The pronoun you refers to the partner and becomes he or she in indirect speech; the options use he. The demonstrative this changes to that, because the performance being referred to is now being talked about from a later point of view. The time word tomorrow typically becomes the next day or the following day in indirect speech. The reporting clause may keep said to her partner in exam style questions.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, convert the indirect sentence back into direct speech. From The girl said to her partner that he would have to dance better than that the next day, change he to you, would have to to will have to, that to this, and the next day to tomorrow. Then add quotation marks. The sentence becomes: The girl said to her partner, "You will have to dance better than this tomorrow." which matches the original, confirming that the reported version is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A keeps will have to and uses the day after, which is not the most natural equivalent for tomorrow and fails to backshift the tense. Option B uses would have to but keeps this and the phrase the day after, making inconsistent changes. Option D also keeps will have to and this, ignoring both tense backshift and demonstrative change. Option E uses would have to and that the following day; it is grammatically close but uses told instead of said to and is not the exact answer given in the original option set that uses the next day. Option C correctly changes will have to to would have to, this to that and tomorrow to the next day, so it is the best answer.

Common Pitfalls:
Many students confuse the expressions the next day, the following day and the day after, using them interchangeably without thinking about the original reference point. Another common error is to leave will unchanged after a past reporting verb. Learners also sometimes forget to change this to that, which can sound strange in a narrative context. Always examine modal verbs, demonstratives and time expressions together when turning direct speech into indirect speech.

Final Answer:
The correct reported speech sentence is The girl said to her partner that he would have to dance better than that the next day.