She told me that he had come home late that night. Past perfect use is not correct in the sentence. "she told me" is a reported speech, not an event. "He came home late..." is one simple past event. So "came" is

Hi. You said in your response: Your earlier quote was "Simple Past and Past Progressive do not normally change in sentences with when / if." That part doesn't mention the simple present. I assume the original quote is correct

This kind of technical analysis is not my greatest forte, but I'll have a go at answering anyway. Could they mean this? He said/reported/suggested/mentioned Jane is living with her parents and going to school full- time. --

Hi. In a section called "Advanced Points in Reported Speech" in the LoreGate.com Learn English Easily site, these two things (exceptions) are what are written under the heading of "exceptions," in addition to one other

Hi. What do you think of the following? In a section called "Advanced Points in Reported Speech" in LoreGate.com's Learning English Easily, under the bold-letter heading of "Exceptions," it is written: Simple Past

Hi Eddie The problem with your sentences is that because you did not add something such as "He asked" or "She wanted to know" at the beginning of the indirect question, you have incomplete sentences. Look at my corrections and

1. Direct speech - "I  lost  my fortune!" lamented the man. Reported speech - The man lamented that he  had lost  his fortune. The rule is to change the simple past tense to the past perfect tense. Hence, 'lost' is changed to

So, Ambassador Gold, doesn't it seem like a huge contradiction if the UN has agreed unanimously last night and voted upon the cease-fire deal. I would accept that as something that might happen in speech, as an afterthought, but not as

Hi anon. I join in your question. John said that people are strange. Some people seem to argue that the rule for reported speech requires, "John said that people were strange." I think #'s 4 - 6 are correct, and 6 need not be

. Ah, I see. I don't agree, so I cannot explain EP's opinion in any more detail. I see nothing wrong with simple past there, and in fact I suspect that it is more common, in speech at least, than the past perfect. 'Before' makes