Past perfect - Reported speech
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:24 am
Hi!
Can there be two verbs in the past perfect tense in a reported speech?
Someone said, "...the past perfect progressive and past perfect tenses don't change in reported speech after a past-tense verb. This happens because in English, there isn't a tense that is "more past" than the past."
Which reported speech is correct in the following example?
He said, "They had finished the work when I arrived."
1) He said that they HAD FINISHED the work when he HAD ARRIVED.
2) He said that they HAD FINISHED the work when he ARRIVED.
Thanks for your help.
Can there be two verbs in the past perfect tense in a reported speech?
Someone said, "...the past perfect progressive and past perfect tenses don't change in reported speech after a past-tense verb. This happens because in English, there isn't a tense that is "more past" than the past."
Which reported speech is correct in the following example?
He said, "They had finished the work when I arrived."
1) He said that they HAD FINISHED the work when he HAD ARRIVED.
2) He said that they HAD FINISHED the work when he ARRIVED.
Thanks for your help.