The employer said to the workman, "I cannot pay you higher wages."

Solution (By Examveda Team)

This question involves the transformation of Direct Speech into Indirect Speech in the context of Voice. The sentence also includes a modal verb ("cannot") and an object ("the workman"), so careful attention must be given to pronoun changes and modal verb transformation.

Direct Speech: The employer said to the workman, "I cannot pay you higher wages."

Key Concepts:
Reported Speech: This is a way of expressing what someone else said without quoting them directly. When converting from direct to reported speech, we typically follow these rules:
1. The reporting verb ("said to") often changes to "told" when there is a personal object ("the workman").
2. The pronoun "I" becomes "he" (referring to "the employer").
3. The pronoun "you" becomes "him" (referring to "the workman").
4. The modal verb "cannot" changes to "could not" in reported speech.

Correct Transformation:
The employer told the workman that he could not pay him higher wages.

Correct Answer: Option B: The employer told the workman that he could not pay him higher wages.

Other Options:
Option A: The employer told the workman that he could not be paid higher wages. — ❌ Incorrect. This changes the voice from active to passive and alters the meaning.
Option C: The employer forbade the workman to pay higher wages. — ❌ Incorrect. This completely misrepresents the meaning. The employer is the one who cannot pay, not forbidding the workman.
Option D: The employer warned the workman that he cannot pay him higher wages. — ❌ Incorrect. "Warned" is the wrong reporting verb, and "cannot" should be changed to "could not".

Conclusion: The sentence that accurately reflects the original meaning and follows the correct grammar rules for reported speech is Option B.