Please help me with this confusion.
Siri said, 'If I don't get my money back, I will make a complaint to the police.'
changed into indirect statement:
Siri said if he didn't get his money back, he would make a complaint to the police.
Another example,
Siri said, 'If I found an iPhone on the street, he would sell it.'
Indirect statement of this would be:
Siri said if he found an iPhone, he would sell it.
Even though the pattern of the sentences of indirect sentences are the same, they are completely different; one is real and another one is real. My question is how to know if sentences with such pattern are real or unreal? How do we recognize? Please help. I have been seeing this type of sentences and don't know if it's a real situation sentence or unreal situation sentence. Thank you.
Top answer
The use of a conditional in reported speech neutralizes the distinction between real and unreal. You don't know, and there is no way to know. Fortunately, it's rare even to need to know.
- The use of a conditional in reported speech neutralizes the distinction between real and unreal.
- You don't know, and there is no way to know.
- Fortunately, it's rare even to need to know.
- It's usually not that important.
- You can't put the salt back into the shaker through the little holes in the top.
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The use of a conditional in reported speech neutralizes the distinction between real and unreal. You don't know, and there is no way to know. Fortunately, it's rare even to need to know. It's usually not that important.
You can't put the salt back into the shaker through the little holes in the top.
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