Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
act of deriving; speculation; drawing of a conclusion
chef
inference
exposure
fleet
Free TOEIC test: Free word games online: Noun Verb Game Answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
"Get over it" vs "Get it over with" | client vs. customer
Listening exercises
Message
Author
Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said #1 (permalink) Sun Jun 08, 2008 19:24 pm   Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said
 

Hi,
Please have a look at this:

"You didn't do what I said", the mother said to her son
=> [reported speech] The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said
Here are my questions:
1. I find the verb "accuse" here rather too serious (when talking about mother and son). Do you agree and can you think of another verb which is more suitable?

2. About the tense in the underlined phrase, should we use
"not having done what she had said" (This is not very good-sounding because there are two participles)
or
"not having done what she said" (I think this is incorrect because the action of saying was before the action of doing (which was in past perfect tense)
or
"not doing what she had said" (this seems ok because the action of doing was after the action of saying, but compared with the original sentence, there is another mistake: the mother said: "you didn't do..." - the action of doing here was in past tense already, and if we don't use "having done", it's not exactly the same as the original sentence.

Now, please don't get vexed because of my long and fussy analogy. I know that English is used very freely in real life (not in Vnese schools Rolling Eyes ) but because English grammar must be followed very strictly here in VN, I want to have the exact usage.

Thank you very much.
Nessie
_________________
Sad... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. Sad

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...
Nessie
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Feb 2008
Posts: 1102

Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said #2 (permalink) Sun Jun 08, 2008 23:55 pm   Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said
 

1. The word "accuse" is not too serious here. The word isn't always used in grave situations. You can even accuse someone of snapping his gum while you're trying to study.

2.
...of not having done what she had said. (very precise according to textbook grammar rules)

...of not having done what she said. (more common in ordinary speech)

...of not doing what she had said. ("Doing" here describes an incomplete or continuous action. In the other sentences, "having done" describes a completed action.)
Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 5332
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Sign up for FREE and explore English! Click to subscribe to email English courseEnglish grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!What do you know about the progressive forms?
Display posts from previous:   
"Get over it" vs "Get it over with" | client vs. customer
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on ESL EFL Forums
When I was a child, ...Phrase "Are you available on this Mon?'""He fell on the nose" vs "He fell on the mouth."Finding out mistakes: Agnes was upset by some of her husband's religious ideas"in which there is sand" ... "sand is in it"telephone conversation in American Englishunreasonable largeReported speech (Marry: What shall we do on saturday?)what does "prime example" mean?Usage of still (Do you still hungry? vs. Are you still hungry?)the article discusses vs. are discussed in the articleMultiple choice questions: What's wrong? vs. What's matter?What does "thanks in anticipation" mean?Use of definite article "the" in written form vs. spoken"Take account" vs "Take an account""like to see" vs "like seeing"Usage of "twenty oh eight"Explain this type of sentence: I was asked to call you.Reported speech: The mother accused her son of not having done what she had said

Discover English-test.net
Expression: A little salt on my foodMeaning of "kick up a fuss"Question after although: Although it is late...Some more questions from 'The Jungle Book''looks like' vs 'looks as'TOEIC practice test: Vocabulary Quizzes: Example of VerbsTOEIC practice test: Online word games: Free Verb GameDefine discount, look into, assist, assort, rankParts of speech test: Noun verb adjectivePronoun test: Business Expressions (1)English grammar quiz: Tourism after 9/11

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail