• Reported speach and BBC World

    From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to alexander koryagin on Fri Mar 2 18:00:57 2018
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18192375
    =========Beginning of the citation==============
    After watching the footage, Mr Campbell said he believes Uefa should
    not have chosen the countries as hosts of such a prestigious event
    in the first place.
    =========The end of the citation================

    Should it have been written in this way:
    Mr Campbell said (that) he believed UEFA should not have chosen the countries...


    Assuming that Mr. Campbell is still alive & well, that he made the remark(s) attributed to him shortly before the news reporters rushed to their computers in order to meet a deadline or to get ahead of the competition, and that I've seen no evidence suggesting he may have changed his mind... I'd say "he believes". IOW, I'm treating the verb as an ongoing action here.... :-)



    It seems to me that there is a rule how to transform a direct speech
    into indirect one.


    Quite possibly. I don't do rules well because so many of them are devised for students at a grade three reading level... and I think you're far beyond that. Adult native speakers of English carefully recite "i before e", then shrug & do what looks right to them because they've never heard or don't remember the rest of what was intended as a simple mnemonic. Some folks even make signs saying (e.g.) "Staff only, no exceptions!" but make exceptions for wheelchair users whenever I'm willing to take on the role of the Cantankerous Old Lady who adamantly refuses to put up with this sort of nonsense.... :-))

    As a native speaker of English I collect examples... sometimes for decades... until I can explain in words the principles native speakers absorb intuitively, with varying degrees of success. Whatever I have to say is thus more of a principle than a rule. The notion that certain principles may take precedence over others, in certain situations, explains more to me than rules which are "more honoured in the breach than in the observance"... [wry grin].

    Another example: within the last week or so Alexander informed the denizens of this echo that he was puzzled about xxx. I'm reporting in my own words, although Fidonet technology enables me to quote exactly what Alexander said. To the best of my knowledge nobody else has responded to his concerns. But a lot can happen in a week or so & electronic mail goes missing in action from time to time, therefore I can't be sure Alexander is still puzzled. ;-)




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  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to mark lewis on Fri Mar 2 18:00:57 2018
    Hi, mark! Recently you wrote in a message to alexander koryagin:

    So, if you had written "After reading Mr Cambell words,
    Alexander informs the denizens of this echo that he would
    have written some sentences in other way" you would have
    meant that I am still puzzled.

    "After reading Mr Campbell's words, Alexander informs the
    denizens of this echo that he would have written some
    sentences in another way."


    Yes. Many hands make light work. Thankyou.... :-)




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  • From alexander koryagin@2:5020/400 to All on Sat Mar 3 08:24:55 2018
    From: "alexander koryagin" <koryagin@erec.ru>

    Hello, All!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18192375
    =========Beginning of the citation==============
    After watching the footage, Mr Campbell said he believes Uefa should not
    have chosen the countries as hosts of such a prestigious event in the
    first place.
    =========The end of the citation================

    Should it have been written in this way:
    Mr Campbell said (that) he believed UEFA should not have chosen the countries...

    It seems to me that there is a rule how to transform a direct speech into indirect one.

    Bye All!
    Alexander (yAlexKo[]yandex.ru) + 2:5020/2140.91
    fido7.english-tutor 2012



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  • From alexander koryagin@2:5020/400 to Ardith Hinton on Sat Mar 3 08:24:55 2018
    From: "alexander koryagin" <koryagin@erec.ru>

    F2EP
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! How are you?
    on Tuesday, 19 of June, I read your message to alexander koryagin
    about "Reported speach and BBC World"

    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18192375
    =========Beginning of the citation==============
    After watching the footage, Mr Campbell said he believes Uefa should
    not have chosen the countries as hosts of such a prestigious event
    in the first place.
    =========The end of the citation================

    Should it have been written in this way:
    Mr Campbell said (that) he believed UEFA should not have chosen the
    countries...


    Assuming that Mr. Campbell is still alive & well, that he
    made the remark(s) attributed to him shortly before the news reporters rushed to their computers in order to meet a deadline or to get ahead
    of the competition, and that I've seen no evidence suggesting he may
    have changed his mind... I'd say "he believes". IOW, I'm treating the verb as an ongoing action here.... :-)

    It seems to me that there is a rule how to transform a direct speech
    into indirect one.

    +++ there is the rule how... ??

    [Skipped]

    Another example: within the last week or so Alexander
    informed the denizens of this echo that he was puzzled about xxx. I'm reporting in my own words, although Fidonet technology enables me to
    quote exactly what Alexander said. To the best of my knowledge nobody else has responded to his concerns. But a lot can happen in a week or
    so & electronic mail goes missing in action from time to time,
    therefore I can't be sure Alexander is still puzzled. ;-)

    So, if you had written "After reading Mr Cambell words, Alexander informs the denizens of this echo that he would have written some sentences in other way" you would have meant that I am still puzzled.

    [...]
    Bye Ardith!
    Alexander (yAlexKo[]yandex.ru) + 2:5020/2140.91
    fido7.english-tutor 2012



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