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Rejane
Reported speech
"I loved him very much".
My sister told me that she ________ him very much.
a) was loving
b) loved
c) would love
answer: loved
Why the answer is loved and not had loved (Past perfect)?
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/reported-speech-mixed3.html#
Feb 7, 2017 11:23 AM
Answers · 6
2
Hi Rejane,
You are correct. In direct speech, she spoke in simple past tense (loved).
When you report her speech, what she said would be further in the past.
Therefore, it is correct to write: My sister told me that she had loved him very much.
Your suggested answer is correct.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Lance
February 7, 2017
It depends on the context.
If your sister said this only recently and she is still in love with the guy now, then in direct speech her sentence would be, " I love him very much". Because of the reported speech rules you'd change the present verb "love" into the past "loved" (one step back).
But if your sister told you a story from her past about a guy she loved some time ago and her direct speech sentence is, "I loved him very much", then you'd change the past verb "loved" into the past perfect "had loved" (one step back again).
February 7, 2017
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Rejane
Language Skills
English, Portuguese, Spanish
Learning Language
English
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