Newguest Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
reported speech
Hello
Is everything alright with the sentences below?
1. "Who was at the door?" David asked Janet
--- David asked Janet who had been at the door.
2. They said "We had booked the room before we left"
---They said they had booked the room before they had left. (I wonder if I could leave "before we left"? Are both forms possible?)
3. They said "We may visit Joe tonight"
---They said they might visit Joe that night
4. Eric said, "They had been talking on the phone for an hour before I interrupted them"
---Eric said (that) they had been talking on the phone for an hour before he had interrupted them (can I leave: "before I interrupted them"?)
5. "They delivered the letters this morning" she said
---She said they had delivered the letters that morning.
6. Jane said "I haven't finished my homework yet"
---Jane said that she hadn't finished her homework yet
Thank you
Is everything alright with the sentences below?
1. "Who was at the door?" David asked Janet
--- David asked Janet who had been at the door.
2. They said "We had booked the room before we left"
---They said they had booked the room before they had left. (I wonder if I could leave "before we left"? Are both forms possible?)
3. They said "We may visit Joe tonight"
---They said they might visit Joe that night
4. Eric said, "They had been talking on the phone for an hour before I interrupted them"
---Eric said (that) they had been talking on the phone for an hour before he had interrupted them (can I leave: "before I interrupted them"?)
5. "They delivered the letters this morning" she said
---She said they had delivered the letters that morning.
6. Jane said "I haven't finished my homework yet"
---Jane said that she hadn't finished her homework yet
Thank you
Top answer
Hi there, 1. " David asked Janet You don't have 2 use a past perfect here, you may if the tense in the quoted sentence is marked for perfection, that is, if it is a finished action. I find it more natural in past simple, tense unchanged.
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Hi there,
1. "Who was at the door?" David asked Janet
You don't have 2 use a past perfect here, you may if the tense in the quoted sentence is marked for perfection, that is, if it is a finished action. I find it more natural in past simple, tense unchanged.
David asked Janet who was at the door.
2. They said "We had booked the room before we left"
1. "Who was at the door?" David asked Janet
You don't have 2 use a past perfect here, you may if the tense in the quoted sentence is marked for perfection, that is, if it is a finished action. I find it more natural in past simple, tense unchanged.
David asked Janet who was at the door.
2. They said "We had booked the room before we left"
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Planet HopperHi there,
1. "Who was at the door?" David asked Janet
You don't have 2 use a past perfect here, you may if the tense in the quoted sentence is marked for perfection, that is, if it is a finished action. I find it more natural in past simple, tense unchanged.
David asked Janet who was at the door.
2. They said "We had booked
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NewguestYou don't have 2 use a past perfect here, you may if the tense in the quoted sentence is marked for perfection, that is, if it is a finished action. I find it more natural in past simple, tense unchanged.Some teachers would say it's wrong to use a past perfect, more frequently at advanced levels. Depends on the teacher's approach to grammar, if i
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Hi
This is what I found in my grammar book:
The past simple can USUALLY stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past perfect:
1. Paul said: I woke up feeling ill, so I didn't go to work.
a) Paul said he woke up feeling ill, so he didn't go to work.
b) Paul said he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn't gone to work.
So, I
This is what I found in my grammar book:
The past simple can USUALLY stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past perfect:
1. Paul said: I woke up feeling ill, so I didn't go to work.
a) Paul said he woke up feeling ill, so he didn't go to work.
b) Paul said he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn't gone to work.
So, I
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