6
votes
Accepted
Modal verbs (must, may, would) in reported-speech backshift
Maybe a native speaker could and maybe they couldn't, depending on what pack of rules you've been saddled with. The list above isn't really about modals; it's about the necessities of events and how ...
- 109k
6
votes
What tense is "He would never see her again"?
Back "translation" to the (historical) present tense:
John says goodbye to his mother.
He will never see her again.
Ah, but we want the past tense. So, we write:
John said goodbye to his ...
- 15.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Does "could" always mean something less likely than "can", even in backshifted subordinate clauses?
Could is not always less likely than can. Nor is it more likely. It isn't always anything; it's not that simple. In all of the above examples, it can (or, if you prefer, could) indicate less ...
- 109k
5
votes
Accepted
Changing “You don't listen to me” to reported speech
Firstly, C is the only feasible answer. A and B do not accurately report the words "You don't listen to him." And D is ungrammatical.
You are right to think that "Jamil told Jaffar that ...
- 33.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Should go/will go/will be going?
The coach said that they _________ to the gym every day next week to get in shape for the tournament game.
should go
will go
will be going
Any of the three options works. The sentence is reported ...
4
votes
Accepted
Conditional clause
Only backshifting, not subjunctive
Reduce it to its most straightforward word order, and the answer will become clear:
I realized that active contemplation would be needed if I ?were to find any ...
- 137k
3
votes
Accepted
“Still wanted” vs “still want”
In such contexts it's not uncommon for native speakers to "backshift" a statement about what they [currently1] want.
This puts a certain amount of "distance" between the speaker ...
- 142k
3
votes
Modal verbs in reporting
Your examples don't work, as they change the intended meaning of the original speaker:
'I could meet you at the airport.'
This means it is possible for the speaker to meet at the airport
He ...
- 22.9k
3
votes
Reported speech about something that is still in the future
From Word Reference Forum, where Annadim asks the same question [minor tweaks, eg bolding, mine]:
Which grammatical tense would you use in the following situation? You
are reporting about a past ...
- 87.1k
2
votes
So that I can vs So that I may
The OP says, "I had read explanations that said that 'may' should be used after 'so that'". I don't think there is such a hard and fast grammar rule.
Can and may can be used to express ...
- 8,523
2
votes
Tense simplification in subordinate clauses - past perfect instead of would have
I wanted this to be a comment rather than an answer, but it is too long!
Tense simplification in English is an exemplification of the abhorrence of redundancy that Anglo-Saxon pragmatism results in ...
- 4,142
2
votes
Modal verbs in reporting
The authors of English Language Today, available on the Cambridge Dictionary website, agree with Hewings that in reported speech modals such as could, would, should, etc. admit no change. They do, ...
- 28.2k
2
votes
I'd appreciate it if + <past tense> + until + <present or past tense?>
Can you have the past tense verb finished in (1)?
Yes, but usually you would add the word "have."
Listen boys, I’ve had a rather emotional day. So whatever your beef with Eggsy is, I’d ...
- 21
2
votes
Conditional clause
I realized that this issue needed more active contemplation, were I to
find any closure.
The sentence is fine. It’s a conditional construction where the protasis has the form of an ungoverned content ...
- 13.5k
2
votes
What tense is "He would never see her again"?
'He would never see her again.' refers to the past.
'Would' is the past form of 'will'.
'He will never see her again' refers to the future.
Direct: He said to her, 'I will never see you again'.
...
1
vote
If he had known she had too many commitments, he would have done something about it. (Backshifting within the scope of a modally remote preterite)
This is an interesting example of how grammatical analysis and formalism may create a line of reasoning that is more obscure and more complex than the prototype.
The Cambridge account is akin to my ...
- 28.9k
1
vote
Accepted
Which verb tense do I use for a secondary but perpetual action mentioned in a sentence that happened in the past?
Interesting question. You are describing your past perception of something that you believe is defined for all time.
Let us assume for the purpose of argument that savior had, has and always will have ...
- 28.9k
1
vote
Which verb tense do I use for a secondary but perpetual action mentioned in a sentence that happened in the past?
The more correct usage would be
I had no idea what a savior was.
and
I had no idea what "savior" meant.
In each case they are sticking with the description of the past condition. They may ...
- 5,502
1
vote
Accepted
Backshifting in reported speech - thought/knew/promised
(1) Yesterday, he said he will go to the party tomorrow. Okay, I guess, but I'm not completely sure when he will go to the party -- today or tomorrow? But "He said he will go on Thursday" ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
Can I change "was" to "had been", when expressing age?
When constructing indirect speech, changing the simple past or the past progressive to the past perfect or the past perfect progressive is not always necessary.
1.a “I was hungry” said Joe. (direct ...
- 92.9k
1
vote
Why does the backshifting of tenses rule not apply here?
Because the state of affairs referred to in the embedded clause is timeless, or continues to the present.
In such cases, but was and is are possible, depending on whether the speaker is wanting to ...
- 77.8k
1
vote
Modal verbs (must, may, would) in reported-speech backshift
Here is the answer: YouTube
Direct Speech -> Reported Speech:
would -> would;
may -> might;
must -> had to;
have to -> had to.
- 11
1
vote
Would not be able to versus will not be able to
Because the sentence is in the past tense. From the point of view of the past tense, the future is expressed with "would" rather than "will."
If the sentence began with "Linda phones and explains ...
- 735
1
vote
Problem with backshift (past simple to past perfect)
If the statement in the speech being reported was already past tense, then backshifting will result in a past perfect. Compare:
"I was 14 back then," she said.
She told me that she had been ...
- 19.6k
1
vote
Accepted
Persisting tense backshifting in the "i'd rather" hypothetical
"experimented" is not real but unreal past, being required by "I'd rather." Its meaning is present. Therefore, the present perfect is fine to refer to things you haven't experimented so far.
Also:
I'...
- 3,200
1
vote
Accepted
Which is the correct tense: "earth was/is round"?
Both the sentences are correct. It depends on what context and which tense you are using it. For example:
Past tense:
Aristotle was the first person who described the shape of the Earth.
He ...
1
vote
What type of if-conditional is: “A shop offered us a reduction if we paid in cash.”?
A canonical second conditional as defined in English language teaching pedagogy has would + infinitive in the main clause (apodosis) and past simple in the if-clause (protasis). For example:
I would ...
- 33.5k
1
vote
What is the Holocaust, or what was the Holocaust?
I tend to agree with Robbie. The Holocaust is an event that occurred in the past so "was" seems most appropriate. Using "is" would also be well understood since the Holocaust is an historical event.
- 510
1
vote
Which tense is correct? "Bob wanted to know if he is/was a father"
Was
You're talking about an event in the past since "wanted" is in the past. Three years ago is not the present, so "is" can't be used. It's that simple.
- 10.6k
1
vote
Reported speech with “never”, which one is correct?
The direct speech is making a statement about a habitual action, so the indirect speech should preserve that: "He said he never loses his books".
- 5,025
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