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Reporting questions and perfect tenses
Reporter: You
have changed
the art world forever, Mr. Duchamp.
Duchamp: Have I?
The reporter said that Mr. Duchamp
had changed
the art world forever. Mr. Duchamp asked
if he had changed
the art world forever. |
When the verb being reported is in a
present perfect
form,
have
is pushed into the past,
had.
In the above example,
have changed
is pushed into the past
had changed.
>>
"I
have seen
a lot of portraits in my life."
The critic said that he
had seen
a lot of portraits in his life.
>>
"I
have been wondering
about this landscape."
The buyer said he
had been wondering
about the landscape.
When we report a question, we use a certain set of reporting verbs:
We follow the reporting verbs with an
if-clause
and the verb pushed back into the past.
>>
"
Have I changed
the art world forever?"
Duchamp wondered
if he had changed
the art world forever.
>>
"
Have you been
to the MOMA in New York?"
He asked me
if I had been
to the MOMA in New York.
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