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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Modals
Hi everybody, I'm studying English with Murphy's English Grammar in Use. I can't get one exercise - 36.4 Write sentences using promised + would/wouldn't
"Why did you tell Jane what I said?"
The answer in the book is "You promised you wouldn't tell her"
But why it's not a "You had promised you wouldn't have told her"?
Before that Murphy gives an example "I didn't tell Sam what happened. He wouldn't have been pleased"
What is the difference between those two? Why in exercise it should be present, but in example it's past?
Please, help me, to understand the difference.
"Why did you tell Jane what I said?"
The answer in the book is "You promised you wouldn't tell her"
But why it's not a "You had promised you wouldn't have told her"?
Before that Murphy gives an example "I didn't tell Sam what happened. He wouldn't have been pleased"
What is the difference between those two? Why in exercise it should be present, but in example it's past?
Please, help me, to understand the difference.
Top answer
" The answer in the book is "You promised you wouldn't tell her"But why it's not a "You had promised you wouldn't have told her"? The words actually spoken were, "I promise I won't tell her". We backshift this in reported speech to You promised you wouldn't tell ker/ Anonymous Before that Murphy gives an example "I didn't tell Sam what happened.
- " The answer in the book is "You promised you wouldn't tell her"But why it's not a "You had promised you wouldn't have told her"?
- The words actually spoken were, "I promise I won't tell her".
- We backshift this in reported speech to You promised you wouldn't tell ker/ Anonymous Before that Murphy gives an example "I didn't tell Sam what happened.
- He wouldn't have been pleased" That's an implied counterfactual conditional: If I had told him, he wouldn't have been pleased.
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1 Answers
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AnonymousWhy did you tell Jane what I said?" The answer in the book is "You promised you wouldn't tell her"But why it's not a "You had promised you wouldn't have told her"?The words actually spoken were, "I promise I won't tell her". We backshift this in reported speech to You promised you wouldn't tell ker/
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