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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Reported Speech: Say vs. Said

Jim: I am good at sports.
A. Ana: He says he is good at sports.
B. Ana: He said he was good at sports.

1. In reported speech, when do we choose to say 'say' and 'said' above?
2. How are the replies by Ana different?
  

Top answer

In the first case ( He says ... ), Ana is reporting quite soon after she has heard Jim say this. Or, she has heard Jim say this quite often (habitually), and she is emphasizing that Jim expresses this opinion of himself often.

— CalifJim

  • In the first case ( He says ...
  • ), Ana is reporting quite soon after she has heard Jim say this.
  • Or, she has heard Jim say this quite often (habitually), and she is emphasizing that Jim expresses this opinion of himself often.
  • In the second case ( He said ...
  • ), Ana is reporting now what she heard on a previous occasion.
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4 Answers
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In the first case (He says ...), Ana is reporting quite soon after she has heard Jim say this. Or, she has heard Jim say this quite often (habitually), and she is emphasizing that Jim expresses this opinion of himself often.

In the second case (He said ...), Ana is reporting now what she heard on a previous occasion.

I suppose that most of the time when we report
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CalifJimIn the second case (He said ...), Ana is reporting now what she heard on a previous occasion.
Can the previous occasion when using 'said' be just seconds or minutes ago? How long past should it be to be able to use 'said'?

Thank you in advance for your clarification.
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AnonymousCan the previous occasion when using 'said' be just seconds or minutes ago?
Yes.
AnonymousHow long past should it be to be able to use 'said'?
At least 732 milliseconds.
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CalifJimAt least 732 milliseconds. Emotion: smile
This is difficult to estimate. LOL.

Thank you,
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