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PreciousJones Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Do we have to stick w/ one tense for each sentence?

'Cause these websites say so...

http://esl.about.com/od/grammarintermediate/a/reported_speech.htm

http://www.athabascau.ca/courses/engl/155/support/direct_and_indirect_speech.htm

and all of them says that:

He told me he was coming and he was going to bring his parents with him too. Is the only correct way of indirect speech.

So

He told me he is coming and he is going to bring his parents with him too. This is incorrect?
  

Top answer

PreciousJones So He told me he is coming and he is going to bring his parents with him too. This is incorrect? This kind of tense combination is not uncommon in conversational English and is quite acceptable.

— Mr Wordy

  • PreciousJones So He told me he is coming and he is going to bring his parents with him too.
  • This is incorrect?
  • This kind of tense combination is not uncommon in conversational English and is quite acceptable.
  • ) You can, of course, only use this style if the thing you're describing is in the present or future.
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21 Answers
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PreciousJones
So

He told me he is coming and he is going to bring his parents with him too. This is incorrect?

This kind of tense combination is not uncommon in conversational English and is quite acceptable. (In conversation, "he is" would normally be contracted to "he's".) You can, of course, only use this style
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Why does the websites say otherwise?

A sentence that begins with past tense such as told or said has to be all one tense(past tense)?
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Where exactly does anyone say that such a sentence must be "all one tense"?

"He told me he'd (= he had) been ill."

"He told me he's (= he is) a Buddhist."

"He told me he's (= he has) found a job in London."

These are all OK.

Regarding your original sentence, "He told me he was coming" may be viewed as more formally correct than "He told me he's (= he i
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From the websites:

If the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form. This form is usually one step back into the past from the original.
For example:
  • He said the test was difficult.
  • She said she watched TV every day.
  • Jack said he came to school every day.
If simple present, present p
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PreciousJonesIf the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form.

"a past form" is rather different from "all one tense"!
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So he said the test is difficult. Is this also a past form?
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PreciousJonesSo he said the test is difficult. Is this also a past form?
No, I was referring to the fact that "a past form" does not exclude sentences such as:

"He told me he had been ill."

"He told me he was coming."

Your "all one tense" could be understood as excluding these.
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Mr WordyNo, I was referring to the fact that "a past form" does not exclude sentences such as:

"He told me he had been ill."

"He told me he was coming."

Your "all one tense" could be understood as excluding these.

... the point being that these are formally correct, so it would be very surprising if any website said
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Sorry. But I meant all the past tense forms. So basically:

He told me he is coming is incorrect following these website guidelines?
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PreciousJones
Sorry. But I meant all the past tense forms. So basically:

He told me he is coming is incorrect following these website guidelines?

"he is coming" is not a past form, so it would be excluded by that guideline. The websites will be telling you the formal rules. That is the way you should probably do it if yo
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