In the following question, convert the direct speech sentence “My friend said to me, \\"I think she will not accept your proposal.\\"” into correct indirect speech by choosing the best option.

Introduction / Context:
This reported speech question involves both a reporting clause and a subordinate clause expressing opinion about the future. The speaker’s friend is giving an opinion that “she will not accept your proposal.” When this is reported later, the reporting verb, tense of “think,” and the future “will not accept” must all be adjusted appropriately. The aim is to maintain the original meaning while following standard rules of indirect speech in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: “My friend said to me, ‘I think she will not accept your proposal.’”
• “Said to me” is normally converted into “told me” in reported speech.
• “I think” refers to the friend’s thought, so “I” becomes “he” (or “she,” depending on context), but in this question the options use “he.”
• The present simple “think” usually backshifts to “thought.”
• The future form “will not accept” should backshift to “would not accept.”
• The pronoun “your” in “your proposal” refers to “me,” so it becomes “my proposal.”

Concept / Approach:
The central concepts are person change, tense backshift, and correct handling of embedded clauses in reported speech. Since the reporting verb “said” is in the past, both “think” and “will not accept” normally move one step back in time. The reported sentence should clearly show that my friend expressed an opinion in the past about a future refusal. The most natural structure is “My friend told me that he thought that she would not accept my proposal.”

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Change “said to me” to “told me,” giving “My friend told me …” Step 2: Introduce the reported clause with “that,” yielding “My friend told me that …” Step 3: Replace “I think” with “he thought,” shifting both person and tense. Step 4: Change the future “she will not accept” to “she would not accept,” backshifting “will” to “would.” Step 5: Replace “your proposal” with “my proposal,” because the original “your” referred to the speaker. Step 6: Combine everything: “My friend told me that he thought that she would not accept my proposal.” Step 7: Match this full sentence with the given options and identify option A as correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check each alternative. Option B uses “says to me” and “thinks” with “will not accept,” which keeps everything in the present and fails to match the past reporting context of “said.” Option C also uses “thinks” and introduces an unnecessary progressive form “will not be accepting,” which is not justified by the original. Option D adds a double “that that” and also uses a progressive “would not be accepting,” making the sentence clumsy and less accurate in meaning. Only option A uses all the required backshifts and maintains clear, concise structure.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B changes the reporting verb to present “says,” which does not match the original past “said” and keeps the tense “will not accept,” ignoring backshift. Option C keeps “thinks” in the present and switches to “will not be accepting,” introducing unnecessary complexity and incorrect tense. Option D uses “that that,” which is stylistically poor, and “would not be accepting,” which overemphasises duration without reason.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget to change possessive pronouns like “your” to “my” when reporting speech, or they change the reporting verb without adjusting the tenses of the subordinate clause. Another pitfall is overusing continuous forms in reported speech when the original sentence is simple. To avoid such mistakes, handle reported speech in stages: first adjust the reporting verb and pronouns, then systematically backshift each verb in the reported clause, and finally check pronouns and possessives for correct reference.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech sentence is “My friend told me that he thought that she would not accept my proposal.”