Hello everybody!
Please tell me when we have to change Present Perfect into Past Perfect and Present Perfect into Past Simple in reported speech. And what is the difference?
For example, what is the best choice for the following and why is that.
She said, “Have you read the morning paper?”
a) She asked whether (if) I read the morning paper.
b) She asked wherer I had read the morning paper.
Thanks a lot.
Hi, Penuel
When we use reported speech, the main verb of the sentence is usually past. In general, the present form in direct speech changes to the past form in reported speech: am/ is - was, are -were, do/ does -did, have/has- had, will would etc.
The past simple can usually stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past perfect (had done…)
Tom said: I woke up feeling ill, so I didn’t go to work.
rep. Tom said (that) he work up feeling ill, so he didn’t go to work.
or Tom said (that) he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn’t gone to work.
I think both are correct.
a) She asked whether (if) I read the morning paper.
b) She asked whether I had read the morning paper.
Hi Geo777, thanks for your reply.
So, you think that there is no difference whether to change Present Perfect into Past Simple or Past Perfect?
I thought, than we have to change it into Past Perfect as per grammar rule of course which says that Present Perfect and Past Simple is changing into Past Perfect. But somehow I feel that there must be explanation for a) choice too.
Can anyone help please?
I think only b is correct. It’s a simple rule. Instead, you should pay more attention to other topics related to reported speech like when must remains unchanged and vice versa, how the subjects change,…etc. Back to your question, sometimes we do not change anything when changing a sentence into reported speech. Because the action mentioned haven’t happened or is permanent truth.