By Dates, Direct speech

ok this is the whole thing! im very confused with changing this from indirect to direct speech! im not being lazy in trying to help my friend i just want to get it right! it looks like its a report and im not sure of the correct use for direct speech here! t29. Mr. Berdennikov ( Russian...

Hello. Sorry to hear you're feeling uncomfortable with this type of activity. But you're not alone: I would be, too!The sentences lack context, which makes it difficult to tell when tense changes are necessary and when they are not (among other things).There is one sentence that is wrong...

Strictly speaking, I think "a year ago" is "a year before". It's "a year before the time the words were spoken". "A year earlier" could be "earlier than any given date". (I'm not sure I'm being clear)

Hello, Anon, Yes, I think it's correct, especially if you spell "university" with an "s". It's all about reported speech. Direct speech: "I graduated in 1994" Reported speech (with the reporting verb in the past): "He told me he had graduated in 1994"

But...Mr. Micawber and JTT, why are you two keeping talking about 'future'? Obviously, renewing the lease is happening in the future. And we're just stating the possiblity. JTT: That's the whole point, Jeff. People get themselves confused by thinking that are acting as past tense or are...