“reported speech” is a description or term, Bob. It puts into context the way
the sentence is written and provides the rules governing its form. It’s not
about reports, as such.
Chris
On 5 Jan 2014, at 22:02, Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> So, if I were looking at the sentence in question as copy coming across my
> desk. I would question the use of the word "reported." I would want to know
> if the writer meant that the Prime Minister reported as in a written report
> of some sort, or if, at some point, he _said_ he was keen to preserve the
> State Pension.
>
> Unless "reported" originated in a document excavated from 10 Downing St., I
> would encourage the writer to phrase the sentence differently. For example,
> "The Prime Minister said . . ." or, if the quote deserved more emphasis, "The
> Prime Minister was adamant in his support for the State Pension." Using "The
> Prime Minister reported" sounds a bit pretentious to me. But then I'm not a
> Brit. <wink>
--
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