Reported Speech

[Silva123]

Hi,
I've got a question concerning reported speech:

Tina: I may come tomorrow.

Tina said that she might come tomorrow.

Is it right to transfer may into might or should I use could?

Thanks

Silva

[Nola]

Hello Silva,
The correct answer is supposed to be:

Tina said that she may have come the following day.

might is not the past form of may because they are both equal

Best Regards,
Nola
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Nola

[Mkostya]

Why did you use present perfect form "have come" ?

Is it incorect to say:

"Tina said that she may come the following day"

?

[Beeesneees]

[Nola]

Hello Beeesneees,

Many great thanks for your help. But what I meant is that the introductory verb that we used is "said" in the past not "says" in the present, so I think that we have to change what's between quotation marks into the past form.
may come (may have come)
tomorrow (the next day or the following day)

Regards,
Nola
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Nola

[Alan]

Hi Nola,

'May have come' isn't the past form of 'may come'. It means that it is possible he came but I don't know as in:

A Did the postman come this morning?

B I don't know. He may have come but I didn't hear him.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Atomos]

So, "might come" is indeed the past form of "may come"? I find it really strange because my teacher emphasises on the idea of "might" not being the past form of "may". They're different because they have different levels of possibility.
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"I would rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." Kurt Cobain

[Alan]

Hi,

You have to look upon 'might' from 'may' in the same way as you think of 'could' from 'can'. These forms are technically past forms. At the same time both 'could' and 'might' do refer to different types of possibility or probability. When we say 'I can come' this suggests that there is a strong possibility. When I say 'I could come' the idea is that it would be possible for me to come but it is not as 'possible' as 'can'. Similarly 'I may come' suggests a probability that I will come but 'I might come' makes this probability less likely. Usually in reported speech 'can' becomes 'could' and 'may' becomes 'might'. The reason for these changes is that when you report or repeat what someone says, this isn't as definite as when the speaker actually says something in direct speech.

Alan
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Nola]

Hello Alan,

Thanks for help. What about the following example.
"You should help you mom.

He said that ............................?
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Nola

[Alan]

Hi,

There are two possibilities here. If you mean this as a general piece of advice, it would be: He said I should help her If you are referring to one particular instance, you would say: He said I should have helped her.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Passive Voice