Mark said he had to go home

[FalaGringo]

Reported speech; I've been having a look at it recently, it seems to be a topic that can be quite complicated to master for foreign learners as msot of the information out there doesn't clearly identify some important details that people may want to know.

So, they say in order to relay information on what someone has said, you must use the correct verb tense, for example, if the first speaker uses "Has", the second speaker whom is relaying the information must use "Had"

Examples
Mark: I have to go home.
I: Mark said he had to go home; written on paper or relayed in the future, perhaps a day later.

Mark: I don't like him.
I: Mark said he didn't like him; written on paper or relayed in the future, perhaps a day later.

Mark: I will help him later.
I: Mark said he would help him later; written on paper or relayed in the future, perhaps a day later.

The only problem is that we tend to speak and possibly write differently when the time period in which the person had spoken is very recent, let's imagine that I'm at someone's house, this person's name is Mark, Mark and I are talking in his room and I decide to go downstairs to talk to his mother, to relay what he said...

Examples
Mark: I have to go out soon.
I:Mark said he has to go out soon

Mark: I don't like him Peter at all.
I: Mark said he doesn't like Peter at all.

Mark: I will help him later.
I: Mark said he will help him later.

So because of these differences, I can only assume that there will times when we use the incorrect tense, perhaps we would say something like,

"You said you will help me" a couple of days later instead of "You said you would help me ", which perhaps is the most correct way of saying it.

What are your thoughts?

 

[GoesStation]

I can only assume that there will times when we use the incorrect tense, perhaps we would say something like,

"You said you will help me" a couple of days later instead of "You said you would help me ", which perhaps is the most correct way of saying it.

A native speaker would never say the first sentence.

 

[teechar]

So because of these differences, I can only assume that there [STRIKE]will[/STRIKE] are times when we use the incorrect tense. Perhaps we would say something like,

Comma-splice error corrected in blue.

 

[jutfrank]

We natives never use the incorrect tense, FalaGringo. If we choose not to backshift, it's because we have a reason not to. The reason is often that the action, state or event that we want to express is still presently relevant at the moment of speaking.

Mark said he doesn't like Peter. = The speaker doesn't backshift probably because he wants to say that it's still true now that Mark doesn't like Peter.

Mark said he'll help him later. = The speaker doesn't backshift probably because he wants to say that Mark's intention to help is still in the future.

So it doesn't really matter how recently the speech that is being reported was uttered. What matters is how the actions, states, or events being expressed are related to the moment of reporting in the speaker's mind.

 

[teechar]

FalaGringo, your profile states that you're a native speaker of British English. Is that information correct?

 

[FalaGringo]

Yes it is correct. It may seem quite odd that I'm asking these kind of questions but I've been learning another language for the past 4 years and I've been trying to analise and improve my understanding of my own language.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, it is correct. It [STRIKE]may[/STRIKE] might seem quite odd that I'm asking these kind of questions but I've been learning another language for the past [STRIKE]4[/STRIKE] four years and [STRIKE]I've been[/STRIKE] I'm now trying to analyse and improve my understanding of my own language.

emsr2d2

 

[Andromeda]

emsr2d2

"...these kinds of questions..."

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

"...these kinds of questions..."

My thought exactly. Or singular: this kind of question.

 

[FalaGringo]

What if I classified all my questions as grammatical?, would they not be just one kind?

 

[probus]

Reported speech; I've been having a look at it recently, it seems to be a topic ...

What are your thoughts?

My first thought is that you've made another comma splice error, not previously pointed out. There should be a full stop after recently. Remember that each complete thought deserves its own sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

What if I classified all my questions as grammatical? no comma here Would they not be just one kind?

Note my corrections above. If you want to use the comma, you need to change the sentence to "If I classified all my questions as grammatical, would they not be just one kind?"

They would, but then you would have to use "this kind", not "these". I apologise for failing to make the relevant correction in post #7. I should have changed "kind" to "kinds" (as the later responses indicated).

 

[Tdol]

Think of the time and the meaning, rather than crunching the verbs through an all-purpose formula.