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#2 (permalink) Thu Jun 28, 2007 3:23 am Expression: "She said she was seeing TV" |
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. The 'seeing' is wrong; we 'watch' TV. As for your main question, what is the direct speech?
Posting elsewhere is not morally wrong; the internet is free to all. Personally, I spend much less time and effort answering questions that I find have been posted elsewhere-- that is all. . _________________ Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's |
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Mister Micawber Language Coach
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 13015
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#3 (permalink) Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:30 am Expression: "She said she was seeing TV" |
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| Mister Micawber wrote: |
. What is the direct speech?
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MM, many thanks for nailing that down. Please see:
Direct speech: She said, "She is watching TV." Indirect speech: She said she had been watching TV.
My question is why the following is incorrect?
| Quote: |
| She said she was watching TV. |
Let's suppose I ask my friend on telephone.
"What are you doing?" "I am watching TV."
After the call I tell me mother:
| Quote: |
| She said she was watching TV. |
Do you think the sentence sounds wrong to native ears? If not, then why on earth the books state such sentences incorrect?
Many thanks, MM
Tom |
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Tom I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 30 May 2006 Posts: 2103
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#4 (permalink) Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:07 am Expression: "She said she was seeing TV" |
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. Well, normally the direct speech is presented as a simple quote: 'She is watching TV.' This is in the present tense, and the report is then: 'She said that she was watching TV.'
However, you have presented an unusual premise: 'She said, "She is watching TV." ' I presume then that the report is 'She said that she had said, "She is watching TV".
How it permutates to 'She said she had been watching TV' is unclear to me, though I can see that that is the intended information. . _________________ Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's |
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Mister Micawber Language Coach
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 13015
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#5 (permalink) Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:01 am Expression: "She said she was seeing TV" |
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Hi, MM
I dare say that if the premise is She said "I was watching TV", then it must be transformed into She said that she had been watching TV On the other hand, if She said "I have been watching TV (for a while)", then She said that she had been watching TV(for a while)
Please, correct me if I'm wrong |
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Lost_Soul I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 1861 Location: South Park, Colorado, USA
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