ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Reported speech?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:30:13 GMT

I think it comes down to what you intended to say/convey, mixing tenses, and understanding the difference between 'will' and 'would.' If you go strictly off of your premise that there's a person seeking to buy a pen from you and you'll have the final say, then you must use 'would'--'will' means it is a definite that's set to occur in the future (whereas 'would' is conditional).

Re: Reported speech?

Mister Micawber — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:00:50 GMT

.
1. "Hi, John said that he will buy it for 3 dollars. Would you go for it?"

My friend said that John had said he would buy it for 3 dollars and asked me if I'd go for that.

2. "Hi, John said that he will buy it for 3 dollars on July 7th. Would you go for it?"

My friend said that John had said he would buy it for 3 dollars on July 7th and asked me if I'd go for that.

Reported speech?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:28:54 GMT

Hi,

Let us pretend that I have a nice used pen for sale and I want to sell it to the highest bidder in a garage sale.

1. My friend: Hi, John said that he will buy it for *** dollars. Would you go for it?

In reported speech, the above construction wouldn't work and the sentence below, which seems the correct reported-speech version, doesn't seem much different in tems of the overall effect.

Hi, John said that he would buy it for *** dollars.

2. If I put a date at the end ofthe sentence, how can I report it?
My friend: Hi, John said that he will buy it for *** dollars on July 7th. Would you go for it?
Reported speech??
Hi, John said that he would buy it for *** dollars on July 7th. Right??