keannu
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- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Korean
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- South Korea
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- South Korea
My grammar book says if the past's state is still true in the present in the direct speech, in the reported speech converted, both present tense and past tense are possible.
But I think if you say "I told her that I didn't smoke", it may be true only in the past not in the present(I smoked only in the past, not in the present), even though "I told that I don't smoke" can mean "I still don't smoke even now". Eveything is dependent on the context, but I'm curious about the general feeling when you hear them. What do you think?
ex)I told her "I don't smoke" => I told her that I don't(didn't) smoke.(in case of still smoking in the present)
But I think if you say "I told her that I didn't smoke", it may be true only in the past not in the present(I smoked only in the past, not in the present), even though "I told that I don't smoke" can mean "I still don't smoke even now". Eveything is dependent on the context, but I'm curious about the general feeling when you hear them. What do you think?
ex)I told her "I don't smoke" => I told her that I don't(didn't) smoke.(in case of still smoking in the present)
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