In Verbs^x, Indirect speech^x, Modals^x

We might not have the same edition. In my case, it's Swan 482, reporting (3), advanced points, item 5, modal verbs in indirect speech on page 505

As per Swan, must is usually unchanged in indirect speech after past reporting verbs: -- Direct: It must be really late. I really must go. Indirect: She said it must be pretty late and she really must go. Swan , reporting (3), advanced points, modal verbs in indirect speech --...

Paco: Sounds your books are telling merely that some native speakers don't do always the tense backshift in direct-to-indirect speech conversion. But I don't take it as that those books are saying ESL students always have to follow that kind of speech made by grammatically illiterate native...

If we use passive voice, we don't have to change it in reported speech. Am I right? JTT: That's right. Sounds your books are telling merely that some native speakers don't do always the tense backshift in direct-to-indirect speech conversion. But I don't take it as that those books are...

CGEL: Conversion to indirect reported speech not a matter of grammatical rule There is a second respect in which we must beware of being misled by the traditonal account associating backshift with indirect reported speech. Converting into indirect reprted speech, however, is not a matter...

JTT: I'm back. As Jim mentioned in my absence, either would be okay. But what he didn't mention is that there are reasons we choose one or the other. Yoshi, the first thing you're going to have to re-learn is that the old "rule" you were taught was wrong, wrong, wrong. There are many old...

I don't really understand the question either... Konstantin, you're referring to the Conditional with your German example. Indirect speech in German works differently as the Conjunctive has to be used in formal German, which however, can be replaced by the Conditional (would+infinitive). ...

Although I'm unable to answer the question, I think it can define it more precisely. Is about with the help of which modal verbs you can tell what another person said. They have it in German and that is, I think, what the question means - whether there is such a construction in English. For...