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which sentence is correct?

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oriental
 
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:20 pm
Sarah said to Cindy: " The guy really likes you."
(if i change this sentence, which one is correct?)

(a) Sarah said to Cindy that the guy likes her.

(b) Sarah said to Cindy that the guy liked her.
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 596 • Replies: 8
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Krekel
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:24 pm
Re: which sentence is correct?
oriental wrote:
Sarah said to Cindy: " The guy really likes you."
(if i change this sentence, which one is correct?)

(a) Sarah said to Cindy that the guy likes her.

(b) Sarah said to Cindy that the guy liked her.


Both sentences are grammatically correct. The difference is, (a) is in present time, (b) is in past time. Since the original sentence is in the present, I would go for (a) ...
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:24 pm
Technically, both sentences are correct as far as grammar goes. I think that most "purists" would prefer example (b), however, simply because both verbs -- 'said' and 'liked' -- agree in tense. But (a) is in no way incorrect.
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:27 pm
Okay, now you have two opposing viewpoints. See how even native English-speakers can't agree on the language sometimes?
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Krekel
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:29 pm
Well, I'm not really a native English-speaker, but I'll thumb-wrestle you for the correct answer though ...
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oriental
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:29 pm
a friend of mine told me that it should be (b). she said that Sarah said so i have to use liked and i cannot use likes cuz it is past already.
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:34 pm
Krekel wrote:
Well, I'm not really a native English-speaker, but I'll thumb-wrestle you for the correct answer though ...


Interestingly enough, Krekel, I'm not really a native speaker, either. But I've been living with the language in the USA since age 11 (I'm 67 now) and know the lingo pretty well (including all the slang Smile).
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Krekel
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 02:40 pm
Merry Andrew wrote:
Krekel wrote:
Well, I'm not really a native English-speaker, but I'll thumb-wrestle you for the correct answer though ...


Interestingly enough, Krekel, I'm not really a native speaker, either. But I've been living with the language in the USA since age 11 (I'm 67 now) and know the lingo pretty well (including all the slang Smile).


Well, I think my first answer is sleeping with the fishes now. Seriously ... I think you're right on (b).

I'm not a native English-speaker, but I am pre-dubbing-cartoons-into-Dutch-errr-Dutch ... So I kind of grew up with English as well. Nowadayz ... Inspector Gadget is dubbed into Dutch, poor kids.
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Shapeless
 
  1  
Reply Tue 4 Jul, 2006 04:06 pm
According to this grammar website, (b) would be the more correct answer. It would also make the example more consistent with similar situations in other languages, though that of course does not necessarily make it correct in English.
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