In the following question on reported speech, a sentence is given in direct speech: “The Principal said to us, \\"Today you will get your diplomas.\\"” Choose the option that best expresses the same idea in correct indirect speech.

Introduction / Context:
This grammar question tests your understanding of converting direct speech into indirect or reported speech. The original direct speech sentence describes the Principal addressing students and telling them that they will receive their diplomas “today.” When changing such a sentence into indirect speech, you must adjust the pronouns, tenses, and time expressions appropriately. The question asks you to select the option that correctly follows the standard rules of reported speech in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: “The Principal said to us, ‘Today you will get your diplomas.’”
• The reporting verb is “said to,” which should normally change to “told” followed by an object (“us”).
• The time expression “today” must be changed to “that day” when reporting later.
• The future tense “will get” changes to “would be getting” or “would get” in reported speech.
• The main idea of the sentence must remain that the diplomas will be given on that same day from the viewpoint of the original utterance.

Concept / Approach:
The key rules in reported speech here are: change “said to” into “told,” backshift the future tense “will” to “would,” and convert the time adverb “today” into “that day.” We must also ensure that the sentence structure is smooth and grammatically correct, and that no unnecessary words like “this” interrupt the clause. The correct indirect sentence will therefore use “told us that on that day we would be getting our diplomas” or a very similar construction.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Replace “said to us” with “told us,” because “told” takes a direct object and is standard in reported speech. Step 2: Introduce the reported clause with “that,” giving “The Principal told us that …” Step 3: Change “today” to “that day” to reflect the shift in time from the moment of speaking to the moment of reporting. Step 4: Backshift “you will get” to “we would be getting,” changing both person and tense, because “you” refers to “us” and future “will” becomes “would.” Step 5: Combine these changes into one sentence: “The Principal told us that on that day we would be getting our diplomas.” Step 6: Compare this sentence with the given options and identify that option A matches exactly.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check each incorrect option against the rules. Option C retains “this day,” which is inconsistent with the usual shift from “today” to “that day” in indirect speech. Options B and D awkwardly insert “this” before “on that day,” breaking the flow and adding a redundant word. Option D also keeps “will” instead of “would,” failing to backshift the tense. Only option A correctly applies all three changes: reporting verb, tense, and time expression. This confirms that A is the best and grammatically accurate choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B adds “this” unnecessarily and produces an awkward structure: “told us this on that day we would be getting our diplomas.” Option C uses “this day” instead of “that day,” which is not the standard transformation of “today” in indirect speech. Option D both misuses “this” and keeps “will” instead of “would,” so it violates the backshifting rule.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to change “today” to “that day” or fail to backshift future tense to “would.” Another common error is to add extra words like “this” that do not belong in the reported clause. To avoid such mistakes, remember to systematically check person, tense, and time words whenever changing direct speech into indirect speech. Practising a clear step by step method, as we applied here, helps ensure that all necessary changes are made consistently.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech sentence is “The Principal told us that on that day we would be getting our diplomas.”