Read up on sequence of tenses.

Herb

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brad Johnston
Sent: 2009-03-09 10:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: On the road to Nashville

Cindy says, "I have lived in Nashville for ten years <and still does>.

Reporter reports: Cindy said that she had lived in Nashville for ten years.
Cindy says, "I lived in Nashville for ten years" <but now lives in Toronto>.

Reporter reports: Cindy said that she had lived in Nashville for ten years.

Under your rules, in reporting direct discourse, we cannot know whether Cindy lives in Nashville or Toronto.

This illustrates the problem I have with your rule about sequence of tenses. If Cindy still lives in Nashville, the reporter should have reported that "Cindy says she has lived in Nashville for 10 years".

Your way, the reporter reports: "Yesterday, the president said he supported the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, but it is not known whether he still holds, or can be presumed to hold, that same view today".

IMAHO, "sequence of tenses" is a nice rule that doesn't work. The reporter should report what he heard: Yesterday, the president said he supports the withdrawal. That's what actually happened yesterday, the rule notwithstanding.
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--- On Mon, 3/9/09, STAHLKE, HERBERT F <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Direct discourse: Cindy says, "I have lived in Nashville for ten years."

Indirect discourse: Cindy said that she had lived in Nashville for ten years.

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From: Wollin, Edith [[log in to unmask]<http:[log in to unmask]>]

Cynthia had lived in Nashville for ten years before she moved to Toronto.

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Original Message

When Cynthia got to Nashville, she had been driving for 8 hours. (past perfect)

When Cynthia gets to Nashville, she will have been driving for 8 hours. (future perfect)

Whee. Here she is in Nashville. She's been on the road for 8 hours. (present perfect)

Cynthia has lived in Nashville for 10 years <and still does>. (present perfect)

Cynthia lived in Nashville for 10 years <but now lives in Toronto>. (simple past)

Note that the past perfect is not the past of the present perfect. If she now lives in Toronto, we say "she lived", we do not say, "she had lived".

Is it possible to conjure context that compels, "she had lived"? Yes, of course. If you have enough shoe polish, you can make a polar bear into a brown bear, but as it stands, if she now lives in Toronto we say, "Cynthia lived in Nashville for 10 years".


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