Choosing a reporting form.

1 2 3 4
   Share on Facebook  
MrPedantic  #572596  Thu, 02 Oct 08 09:49 PM

Ah well. That's pragmatics for you.

MrP

  
Top 10 Contributor
Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004
Veteran Member (12,231)
Proficient SpeakerSystemAdministrator
...opella forensis / adducit febris...
Yankee  #572610  Thu, 02 Oct 08 10:21 PM
.
Does anyone know what Jake said on other forums?  I thought I saw a post where he said he was deliriously happy.
"Course, it might have just been "delirious".
.
  
Top 25 Contributor
Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006
Connecticut, USA
Senior Member (4,495)
ModeratorTeachers
Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain
MrPedantic  #572613  Thu, 02 Oct 08 10:24 PM

I'm afraid Jake has had his good days and his bad days.

 

 

  
Yankee  #572615  Thu, 02 Oct 08 10:30 PM
I wonder whether Jake is a fake.
  
Anonymous  #572637  Fri, 03 Oct 08 12:39 AM
Watch out! Children at play!
  
Yankee  #572717  Fri, 03 Oct 08 09:39 AM

Yankee
I thought I saw a post where he said he was deliriously happy.
Does that sentence look anything like reported speech to you, Anon/Molly/Mike/Milky/Metal56/M56/Bridget/Position/Pos?

By the way, Anon, have you ever disagreed with Molly, Mike, Milky, Metal56, M56, Bridget, Position or Pos?  If so, why don't you report a few of those differences of opinion. Please be specific about who said what.

  
Anonymous  #574043  Tue, 07 Oct 08 08:50 AM
For Amy, this was the thread question:

Which form of reporting would you use here and why?

On the phone.

Tim: How are you?
Jake: I'm really depressed.

--

Later:

Tim (to a friend): Jake called this morning. He's really depressed/He says he's really depressed.
  
Kooyeen  #574254  Tue, 07 Oct 08 10:26 PM

Anonymous
Which form of reporting would you use here and why?


Somebody once said there are no good answers, only good questions. Whether that is a good aphorism or not, if we suppose yours is a good question, what exactly makes it a good question?

In other words, what kind of reasoning or debate is that question expected to trigger?

I guess without context I would choose the first, "He is really depressed", I think I might be more likely to just say that. But since thoughts, perception of facts, and choices vary according to the context, what's the point of such a question? There's no point, unless the lack of important details is meant to force people to make them up in their minds, so that it is then possible to analyze their assumptions to get a better picture of their psyche. But you are not interested in my psyche, are you? LOL

Your question seems to me like "You are running out of gas, and there are two gas stations, one on the left and one on the right. Which one do you choose?" - No idea! And no idea what that question is for either.
A better one might be: "There are two gas stations. At the one on the left, there's a blond lady with huge hooters and a nanoskirt (= 1/1000 of a microskirt), at the one on the right there's a muscular guy with a mustache with only a pair of leopard spotted underpants on. Where are you gonna stop?" - See? That looks like a much better question to me, LOL.

So long.
  
Top 25 Contributor
Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005
Italy
Senior Member (4,167)
Moderator
If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.
CalifJim  #574265  Tue, 07 Oct 08 10:47 PM
I'd say,

He says he's really depressed, but he isn't.  It's all in his head, as usual.

Smile 

  
Top 10 Contributor
Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004
California
Veteran Member (18,312)
ModeratorProficient Speaker
"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche
1 2 3 4
AddThis Feed Button RSS Feed: ESL Linguistics Discussion Forum
© 2008 MediaCET Ltd.
Terms and Conditions & Terms of Service