Use of will/would.

[blissful]

Hi

Thank you for your advice.

Could we use “will” in sentence (2)? What’s the difference in meanings between the two sentences?

1)My friends said that they would follow up.

2)My friends said that they will follow up.

[virus99]

Hi!

Not a teacher!

1. Thats indirect speech. The direct version would be: Marta, Ed and Tom: 'We will follow up.'

2. That's probably wrong because you used 'said' and you should use 'would' in that case.
You could say: My friends say that they will follow up.

Again, I am no teacher.

[ridvann]

*NOT A TEACHER*

You can also utter it like the second choice if you unquote the sentence.

My friends said 'we will follow up'.

Thanks...

[5jj]

"My friends said that they will follow up" is fine if the reporting of what the friends said takes place before the following up.

There is no need to backshift if what is reported is till valid.

John (speaking in 2005): " I will leave England in 2009."
John said that he will/would leave England in 2009.

John (speaking in 2012): "I will leave England in 2017."
John said that he will/would leave England in 2017.

[ridvann]

No changes are made if the reporting takes place at the same time and/or in the same place as the original utterance.

-Tommy to Keith in Szeged in 1999: I will move here next year.

Keith to Nigel in Szeged in 2003: Tommy said he would move here the following year.
Keith to Nigel in London in 1999: I’ve just met Tommy in Szeged, and he said he will move there next year / would move the following year.
Keith to Nigel in London in 2003: I met Tommy in Szeged four years ago, and he said he would move there the following year.

I think It 'blissful' wants to utter this.

Thanks...

[5jj]

No changes are made if the reporting takes place at the same time and/or in the same place as the original utterance.
There is no need for it to be at either the same place or the same time. As I said in my last post, there is no need to backshift if what is reported is till valid.

-Tommy to Keith in Szeged in 1999: I will move here next year.

Keith to Nigel in Szeged in 2003: Tommy said he would move here the following year.
Keith to Nigel in London in 1999: I’ve just met Tommy in Szeged, and he said he will move there next year / would move there the following year next year.
Keith to Nigel in London in 2003: I met Tommy in Szeged four years ago, and he said he would move there the following year.

I think It 'blissful' wants to utter this. Sorry, I don't know what you mean here.

5

[ridvann]

George: I’m meeting Lucy tomorrow.
George said he is meeting Lucy tomorrow. (reported on the same day) (It is 12:00)

George said he was meeting Lucy the following day. (reported later during the week)

They are ok.

But,

George said he was meeting Lucy the following day. (It is still 12:00, reported on the same day, but I want to change the tense)

Can we change it even if the reported words are true at the time of reporting?

[5jj]

George said he was meeting Lucy the following day. (It is still 12:00, reported on the same day, but I want to change the tense)

Can we change it even if the reported words are true at the time of reporting?

You can backshift, but it would be unnatural to change 'tomorrow' to 'the following day'.

[ridvann]

Must I put 'tomorrow' instead of 'the following day' ?

[5jj]

It will sound unatural if you don't, as I have already said.