- Hello,
Is it true that modal verbs in past tense do not change in reported speech?
For example: "I should do my homework."
As per every website:
"He said that he should his homework."
I feel like this sentence works only when the person who said it still should do their homework when the speaker is reporting it.
So is this possible?
"He said that he should have done his homework."
1. Reporting: "I should have done my homework."
2. Reporting: "I should do my homework," where we are reporting that when he said this he felt like he should do his homework, but now, he doesn't feel like that anymore — maybe it was due at some point and he gave it to the teacher.
Similarly, this sentence:
"I could be rich when I am 35."
R.S.:
1. "He said that he could be rich when he is 35."
2. "He said that he could have been rich when he was 35."
1. He isn't yet 35, we are just stating what he said.
2. He is more than 35, we don't know whether he was rich when he was 35.
Are these assumptions correct? I really couldn't find any discussions concerning this problem.
Thanks so much for any help!
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