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Reported speech/help
Message de chienthang posté le 09-01-2012 à 10:55:41 (S | E | F)
Hello everyone,
I would like someone to help with the past continuous tense in reported speech.
We don't change past continuous into past perfect continuous like in this example:
he said: 'I had to take a taxi because it was raining hard'.
In reported speech we would have:
He said that he had had to take a taxi because it was raining hard.
I understand why we don't change past continuous into past perfect continuous in this case. That is because 'it was raining hard' is used to describe the situation.
But I don't understand why we don't change past continuous into past perfect continuous in the following example.
'Who were you looking for?'he asked me.
This sentence can be reported as below: he asked me who I was looking for.
Can someone explain this to me please!
and can you tell me when we don't have to change past continuous into pas perfect continuous please? I have the impression that we don't normally change this tense when we report.
Thank you in advance.
chienthang
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Modifié par lucile83 le 09-01-2012 12:13
+ mise en forme
Message de chienthang posté le 09-01-2012 à 10:55:41 (S | E | F)
Hello everyone,
I would like someone to help with the past continuous tense in reported speech.
We don't change past continuous into past perfect continuous like in this example:
he said: 'I had to take a taxi because it was raining hard'.
In reported speech we would have:
He said that he had had to take a taxi because it was raining hard.
I understand why we don't change past continuous into past perfect continuous in this case. That is because 'it was raining hard' is used to describe the situation.
But I don't understand why we don't change past continuous into past perfect continuous in the following example.
'Who were you looking for?'he asked me.
This sentence can be reported as below: he asked me who I was looking for.
Can someone explain this to me please!
and can you tell me when we don't have to change past continuous into pas perfect continuous please? I have the impression that we don't normally change this tense when we report.
Thank you in advance.
chienthang
-------------------
Modifié par lucile83 le 09-01-2012 12:13
+ mise en forme
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